Settling Down, Epilogue
May. 24th, 2009 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleurlbJuly, at Al and Tim's Wedding
Tyra had outdone herself in planning the wedding. She'd taken drawings from Al and recreated her vision precisely, with Christmas tree lights, several white marquee tents, pathways, wildflowers, and an outdoor dance floor.
Tim sat on a white, wooden folding chair next to the dock, looking out at their friends and relatives, who were sitting in the neat rows that spread up the slight incline to the road. Tim's right leg was bouncing at a ridiculous rate and he couldn't seem to stop his hands from sweating. Jason sat next to him, the picture of calm.
“Quit fidgeting, Timmy. No need to be nervous. She's going to show up.”
“Oh, I know that. No doubt about that.” Tim shook the hair off his face and tried to sit up straighter and stay still.
“And all you have to do is repeat what the judge says and then slip the ring on her finger. No jokes or original material required.”
“I know.”
“Is it your father?”
Tim looked at Jason and smiled “No. I heard Al tell Tyra to take care of it. I don't even want to think about what that means.”
Jason shuddered. “No kidding. So if it's not any of that, why the hell are you so nervous?”
Tim leaned closer to Jason and whispered. “Look at her brothers. The way they're whispering among themselves and looking at me like I was....I don't know....fresh meat or something.”
“Oh yeah, I see what you mean. Which two are talking now, at the end of the first row there? Is that Charlie and Ed?”
“No, that's Eddie.”
“Ed, Eddie same difference,” said Jason, rolling his eyes.
“No, not the same difference at all, Six. Ed is Edmund. Eddie is Edward.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Tim said, holding up his hands. “Don't ask. I don't understand it myself.”
A few days before her family arrived, Al had admitted to Tim that she was worried about him meeting them. His old insecurities had whispered in his ear that she was embarrassed of him, but she was quick to assure him that it wasn't what he thought. She had said her brothers could be a bit overwhelming, there were so many of them and when they all got together, it was like some sort of critical mass of Collette craziness was reached and anything could happen.
Tim had assured her that he'd be able to handle it. Then, at the party they had at their house so the families could meet each other a few days before the wedding, he saw exactly what she meant. They were like crazed puppies – boisterous and unnecessarily rough with each other. When the brothers greeted each other, it was more likely to be with a punch in the arm than a friendly handshake. That they treated their baby sister the same way was something Tim couldn't quite get used to.
Their backyard seemed overrun with Minessota Collettes, Al's guests outnumbering his by about 3 to 1. One father, seven brothers, five wives, seven nephews, and five nieces. Tim was relieved that Al had insisted on bringing in caterers, overruling his objections and assurances that he could handle it. He was having a hard enough time learning names, fetching drinks, and making small talk.
The wives and kids went back to the hotel as it started to get dark. Al turned on the outside lights and then the arm wrestling started. Tim jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see Al's dad, Jim, standing next to him.
“From here, they'll go to real wrestling until someone gets hurt, then they'll go to poker, until someone loses all his money. Depending on the circumstances, there might or might not be a fist fight. At the end of the night, they'll sing the Irish songs their grandmother taught them until they pass out in your backyard. That's usually how these things play out.”
Tim smiled and nodded, unsure if Jim was joking.
“Get the eight of them together and you could have a danged riot on your hands in less time than it takes to skin a chicken. Think you could run me back to the hotel?”
“Yes sir, of course.”
Tim waited while Jim said good-bye to his daughter, who looked comical trying to arm wrestle a guy nearly three times her size. Tim wasn't sure how she'd ended up so small when her brothers were all over six feet tall and built like brick shit-houses.
Tim drove to the hotel more carefully than he had driven during his driving test. He was so eager to make a good impression on Al's dad, who sat silently, staring out the window.
“There was a little girl, with a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good. And she was bad, she was horrid,” said Al's father, pretty much out of nowhere.
“I'm sorry, sir?” said Tim, a bit confused.
“Al's mother used to say that rhyme to her all the time. Made me wonder some times if Al was like that because she was told that she was or if she was like that because she was just wired that way. Point is, with Al, it's either all or nothing. She don't really do middle ground.”
“No, not really,” agreed Tim with a small smile.
“I know this is where I'm supposed to say something protective and vaguely menacing about taking good care of my daughter.”
“Sir?” Tim wasn't sure at all where this conversation was going.
“Truth is, you've already taken good care of my daughter. Some guys, when their daughter gets married, they feel like they're losing her. I don't feel that way because you're the guy who brought her back from the dead.”
Tim felt his cheeks flush and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I don't know that I'd put it like that exactly.”
“I would. When she lost her daughter, well, I didn't think she'd survive it. You're the one who made her feel like she was allowed to let herself live again. I will always be grateful to you for that.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tim was relieved to pull into the parking lot. He put the truck in park and turned to Jim.
“Now, her brothers, on the other hand, they're the ones you want to watch out for. They're going to welcome you into the family by treating you like one of the boys. And you can see how they treat each other.”
Tim grinned. “I think I can handle it, but thanks for the warning.”
Now though, waiting for the wedding to start and watching the brothers whispering, gesturing and laughing in his direction, Tim wasn't so sure he could handle it. There were seven of them, after all. A sharp elbow in his ribs brought him out of his thoughts.
“You're fidgeting again like your damn pants are full of ants,” hissed Jason.
“Sorry, Six. Can't help it.” Tim smoothed his hands on his pants and adjusted the cuffs of his linen jacket. His shirt was Al's favorite shade of blue. He'd been so clueless about what to wear that he'd asked Tyra, who had taken him shopping in Austin and spent an afternoon dragging him to about 47 stores, treating him like he was her own life-size dress-up doll. She knew how much Tim hated shopping, especially for clothes, and he suspected that she took a sadistic pleasure in his discomfort. But he couldn't argue with the clothes she'd finally selected for him.
Jason looked around at the trees, the flowers, the tents. “Place looks great. Tyra's done an amazing job. Hell, Riggs, even you look good.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Six.”
“Did you actually blow dry your hair?” Jason reached out and touched Tim's hair, causing Tim to shove him away with a grin.
“Yeah. Tyra made me. Showed up at my door this afternoon with Mindy and told me I didn't have a choice in the matter. How am I supposed to fight off a pregnant woman?”
“That's just playing dirty.”
“Yeah, well, that's Tyra.”
He looked up and saw Tyra walking over to them, with the judge right behind her. Tim got up, trying to stand tall and keep his breathing regular.
“You good, Tim? You ready?” asked Tyra.
“Absolutely.”
The judge took his place under a trellis of flowers and cleared his throat. Tyra nodded to the string quartet, who started to play. Mindy stood up and walked over to her spot on the other side of the judge. She'd made it clear to Al that there was no way she was going to waddle up the aisle, eight months pregnant. (“I didn't have to do that at my own wedding, thank God, and I sure the hell ain't doing it at someone else's.”)
A horse-drawn carriage came up the road. Jim stepped out first, then helped Al down. Tim wanted to laugh at the carriage, but the sight of Al knocked the breath right out of him. She looked beyond beautiful, her blonde curls held off her face with sparkling clips.
More details came into focus as she walked up the aisle, beaming next to her father. The dress was perfect – an ivory color that glowed against her skin, spaghetti straps that were like strings of pearls, a fitted top with delicate embroidery; a silky, swishy skirt that stopped at the knee, the jagged hemline giving the impression of movement even when she was standing still.
When they reached the dock, Al's father shook Tim's hand and winked at him. Then he took his daughter's hand and joined it with Tim's.
“Be good to each other,” he said before he kissed Al on the cheek and then took his place in the front row next to Al's brother Charlie.
The ceremony passed in a swirl of words and gestures. Tim felt like he blinked and it was over: he was kissing his bride, the clapping of the audience a distant buzz in his ears. Then they walked up the aisle together, where Tyra was waiting for them at the road, to direct them to where they should greet their guests.
Tyra was running this whole operation with a military precision that frightened Tim just a little bit. He leaned down to Al and whispered in her ear “If Tyra ever decides to use her powers for evil, we are all screwed.....oh yeah, and you're beautiful, the dress is perfect.”
Then it was a blur of handshakes and hugs as they greeted their guests and sent them over to one of the tents for a small cocktail reception before the party really started. Al wanted everyone to have a good time, so she had asked Tyra to organize a special tent for the kids, with qualified babysitters, games, a puppet show, and pony rides. Tim had a feeling that at some point in the evening, Al would sneak off to spend some time at the kid's tent. She had a soft spot for both children and ponies, after all.
Tim finally got a chance to pull Al away for a minute while the photographer was getting set up for the pictures.
He pulled her close and kissed her, then stepped back to admire the view. After complimenting her, he was able to ask a question that had been on his mind since the start of the ceremony.
“A carriage? Really? That's a bit too.....princess-y for you, don't you think?” he teased.
Al rolled her eyes. “I told Tyra that I wanted to arrive by horse. She said the carriage was the only way that was going to happen. I told her it was my wedding and she told me I had to learn how to compromise.”
Tim grinned as he imagined what that conversation must have been like. The photographer called them over to the dock. Al had promised it would be short and sweet, that most of the pictures the guy took would be in what she called the reportage style. As far as Tim could tell, that just meant the guy would wander around all night, snapping random pictures. He didn't understand why that needed a fancy name.
Al was as good as her word. Fifteen minutes later, they were joining their guests at the reception. Then it was on to the dinner, a casual barbecue affair with no assigned seating, head table, toasts, speeches or any of that nonsense that both Tim and Al hated at weddings. Al was too worried about spilling something on her dress to eat, so she spent the time drifting through the tables, talking to guests. Tim sat with Billy and Mindy, but couldn't take his eyes off of his wife, a word that made him smile every time he thought it.
Soon, Landry was setting up his DJ equipment. When he'd heard about Tyra's music problem, he had gallantly offered that Crucifictorious would be happy to play for the reception. Tyra turned him down but told him that if he could hook his Macbook up to a decent sound system, the DJ gig was his. Al burned CDs of the music she wanted played and gave Landry a list of what she absolutely, under pain of death, did not want to hear.
Landry called Tim and Al up to the dance floor.
“Now, I know y'all said no speeches, but you sure you don't want to say a little something? Last chance, speak now and all of that.”
Tim shook his head but Al reached out and took the microphone from Landry. The crowd quieted down, all eyes on the small woman in the ivory dress.
“I want to thank y'all for coming. We hope you have a great time. Now, I just have a few people to thank real quick.
“First, everything you see here tonight was organized by Tyra Collette, easily the best party planner in Texas. She's just started up an event planning business, so y'all should take one of her cards and give her a call next time you need an event planned.
“Next, I need to thank Jason, our Best Man, for, well, just for being himself really, and for being Tim's best friend.
“And finally, I'd like to thank Mindy and Billy. Mindy, thank you for talking some sense into me and putting me on the path that's brought me so much happiness.” Al squeezed Tim's hand and looked up at with him a smile before continuing.
“And Billy....I'd like to thank you for giving me a job I love and for raising the boy who grew up into the man I love even more.” She handed the microphone back to Landry, then walked over to Billy, who tried to say something, but couldn't get any words out. Al hugged him and Mindy, then returned to Tim, who took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor.
“I know you gave Landry a playlist, but I changed the first song, because it's everything I've ever wanted to say to you and if you'd forced me to write vows, I would have just ripped off this song.”
Tim put his hands on Al's waist and pulled her close. She put her hands on his chest and leaned back so she could look up at him. The music started and they began to dance. Tim didn't like being the center of attention, unless it was on a football field, but he found that his whole world shrunk down to just him and the girl in his arms. He smiled as her face lit up when she recognized one of her favorite songs.
“But you hate the Cure,” she said.
“That's because they're usually whiny bastards, but this time, this song, they got it exactly right.”
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am whole again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again
However far away I will always love you
However long I stay I will always love you
Whatever words I say I will always love you
I will always love you
“Can I tell you again that you look stunning in this dress?”
Al smiled. “Yeah, I think I don't mind you repeating yourself in this case.”
Tim pulled her closer and leaned down to whisper in Al's ear, his voice a low, throaty growl that made her shiver. “And I know for a fact that you'll look stunning out of it too.”
Al pulled back to look at him, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. “Funny, I've been thinking the same thing about you and that shirt.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
After the first dance, Tim and Al stayed on the dance floor for a few more songs, then got beers and took a break. Tim sat down, pulling Al into lap. She put an arm around his neck and rested her head against his chest.
“Jay Six,” said Tim as his friend rolled up.
“Mr. and Mrs. Riggins,” said Jason with a smile.
“Six, I think you might be living in the Dark Ages. It's not a sure thing that she's taking my name.” Tim kept his voice light but this had been a little bit of an issue for them.
He and Al had talked about her changing her name, but she'd seemed conflicted. She changed her name when she married her first husband and had changed it back when they got divorced. She'd said a lot of things about identity and history and some other stuff that he had to admit he didn't really hear because he was just watching her mouth and thinking thoughts that would make her blush. He wouldn't take it personally if she decided to keep her own name, but he was surprised by how much he wanted her to have his name.
“It's okay. I'm taking your name, Timmy. Mrs. Riggins is fine with me. But the first person who calls me Mrs. Tim Riggins gets a left hook in the face,” said Al with a smile.
“Left, your weak side, so it would just be a warning then. Nice,” said Tim.
“So, like I was saying, Mr. And Mrs. Riggins, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm moving back to Dillon.”
The grin on Tim's face could have lit an entire football field.
“Six, that's great news. But what about your fancy sports agent job?”
“Well, here's the thing, the fancy sports agent job was kind of sleazy sometimes and it made me realize what I'm actually good at and interested in. So I got a job now as a recruiter at Texas Tech.”
“A recruiter? I thought you were trying to get away from the sleazy,” said Tim.
Jason rolled his eyes. “I don't think recruiting has to be like that. And there's more to recruiting than just meeting with the prospects. There's the scouting, the game film, the strategizing, the helping the coaches develop the team.”
“I'm so happy for you. I hope this job is everything you want.” Al leaned forward to kiss Jason on the cheek.
“Six, I didn't think I could be happier on my wedding day, but this.....” Tim's voice trailed off as he smiled at his best friend, knowing that he was about three seconds away from crying, but not caring because he was with the two people in the world who knew him best and loved him anyway.
“So, it's going to be a fair bit of travel, I'm responsible for Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisana, and Oklahoma. And I know Tech is a fair drive from Dillon, but it'll be better than stuffing myself into a subway car every day.”
“Where you going to live?” asked Tim.
“Going to live with my parents to start. I didn't think I'd have to do that again, but well, it's too tough to live on my own and I love Herc, but I don't want my son growing up around him.”
They looked across the dance floor to where Herc was flirting with one of Al's sisters-in-law. Al didn't want to see what would happen if her brother saw that, although she suspected Herc could fend for himself.
Al looked at Tim, then turned to Jason.
“Come live with us,” she said.
“No, that's really sweet of you, but no way,” Jason shook his head.
“Come on, you know Tim is completely house-trained now. It's just like living with a real grown up.”
“Thanks, Al. I appreciate that vote of confidence,” said Tim.
“You know what? I appreciate the offer, let's put it on hold for now, see how things go. Who knows, I might be on your doorstep within three days of moving in with the parents.”
“Six, you can show up on our doorstep anytime and stay for as long as you want. We got two bedrooms and the bathroom downstairs, so, you know, it'll be fine,” said Tim.
“I want to give y'all some time to be newlyweds... but it's good to know I have a place to go if my mother drives me too crazy.”
“Your date looks like she's looking for you,” observed Al, watching Lyla wandering among the tables.
“How's that going?” asked Tim.
“Good, Timmy. Real good. She decided after the heart attack that she needed to be closer to Buddy, so she's going to Texas Tech's medical school.”
Tim reached out, took Jason's hand and squeezed it. “You deserve this, Six. I hope it all works out this time.”
“Me too, Timmy, me too.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
The sun was starting to set when Tim took Al's hand and started to drag her to the dock.
“Hold up, I need to get something from Tyra,” said Al.
“I don't know what it is, but I know she left it in the boat,” said Tim with a grin.
Al shrugged and followed Tim down to the dock. She could see a small cooler, the backpack she'd given Tyra, and some blankets in the back of the boat. Tim stepped down into the boat and then helped Al down, making sure her dress didn't catch on the dock. He settled her onto the bench set at the back, kissed her forehead, and then got behind the wheel.
Two minutes later, the boat was floating in the middle of the lake. Back on the shore, their party was a series of twinkling white lights, distant noise and faint music. Tim made his way carefully to the back of the boat and sat down next to Al, who was holding a flat, rectangular box that was tied with a bright blue ribbon.
Wordlessly, a nervous smile on her face, she slid the box into Tim's lap. He untied the bow and lifted up the top of the box to find a leather binder, which he took out and opened. The first page was an architectural sketch, showing several plots of land with squiggling lines, indistinct blobs and other marks that Tim couldn't quite make sense of. He could see that one plot was highlighted in pink, another in green, another in blue and two others in yellow.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Al, who was biting her lip, her look a combination of love, excitement, and nervousness. Tim looked through the next several pages, which were architectural plans for a house, then a few pages of drawings of a house on the edge of the woods next to a lake. There was another drawing of a small cabin and one of a boat dock.
The last few pages looked like deeds, for each of the parcels of land. Five of them in total, the earliest one dated a couple years earlier, the latest dated a few months before the wedding.
“Al, I'm not sure I understand what all this is.”
She brushed the hair off his face and turned back to the first page.
“This is our future, out life together. See this blue part here,” she said, her finger tracing the lines. “That's where we can build our house, right on the edge of the woods next to the lake.”
She pointed to the marks that showed the woods and the jagged circle of the lake.
“And this one here, the green one. It has a falling down cabin. I figure you could fix that up and this plot and probably the one next to it can be your hunting ranch. The two together would be about 200 acres.”
He looked at her in amazement. “How did you know? I only ever talked about that ranch with Six and Lyla and that was before....everything.”
“You mentioned it once, one of those Friday evenings we spent on the porch. You always talked so freely then, probably because you thought I was too drunk to remember. But this one, this one I worked hard to remember because I could see how important it was to you.”
“So what about this pink one here, next to the blue?”
“That is what you're going to give Jason and Lyla as their wedding present,” she said.
Tim put his arm around Al and held her to his chest. He brushed her hair back and then stroked her cheek.
“I don't even know what to say. This is perfect. I can't believe the planning....you've just been buying land for the last coupla years? You bought that first one before we were engaged or anything.”
“I knew. After our first Christmas together, after I tried to push you away and you took me back, I knew then that we could get through anything.”
Al leaned away from his chest and put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. The sun had long since set and darkness was settling over the lake. The boat rocked gently and Tim nearly lost track of time, distracted by her soft, hot mouth and light hands.
The first loud boom brought him back to reality. He broke off the kiss, moved to the corner of the bench seat and dragged Al over so she was leaning against him. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear.
“You're not the only one who arranged a surprise tonight. Compared to yours, though, it's not much.”
Across the lake, blue fireworks shot up from the shore and swirled in the sky. Then came the red ones that exploded like flowers. Al's hand traced the muscles of his forearm and Tim found his thoughts wandering.
He'd waited his whole life for this and had sometimes thought he was never going to find it - a woman he loved who returned his love with the same ferocity. Loving him without question or condition, believing and trusting in him, accepting him as he was. Tim sighed contentedly and rested his chin on Al's shoulder, relaxing and enjoying the moment.
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Date: 2009-05-24 01:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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