[Lots of people]

[starchilde_lost]

[Dated March 31st, 2012]

She wanted this to go smoothly. She wanted this to go smoothly so badly, it was almost making her nauseous as she finished setting the table and setting out the last of the food. Some of it she'd made, some of it she'd bribed members of the kitchen crew to make for her, but all of it was hopefully something someone would like. And hopefully none of it would end up on someone's face.

Because she really didn't know.

She'd never really done anything like this before. Sure, there were family-style dinners at the mansion and with her grandparents while she was with them, but nothing like that existed here. She had no idea how this group of people that meant so much to her would get along with each other. She knew they'd all try, for her sake, and bless them for it, but she had a habit of making friends and family out of very opinionated and stubborn people and once the wine and beers were opened, who knew what would happen.

So she just said a prayer and hoped for the best as she got up to fiddle with her hair again.

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Comments

[leftwithmybones]

McCoy listens carefully and nods when he gets a pretty savvy answer out of him. "So long as it doesn't mean you sleep around and somehow break her heart, I think you and I will get along fine. Besides, she'd probably smack me upside the back of the head if I hurt you too bad."

[likesthestooges]

"It definitely means that's not going to happen," Aidan reassured him. Aidan was ready to declare them exclusive before Rachel was, although he figured there was no need to mention that, especially since it's not like she had been sleeping around.

"If we break up, it won't be because of that."

[leftwithmybones]

"Good," McCoy says, but there's an echo of bemusement in his words, like he doesn't exactly believe it yet, but he'd love to. "I'd prefer if you two didn't break up at all, but that's the part of me that's ready for a nice long year of calmness speaking."

[likesthestooges]

"I'd really like it if we didn't break up also," Aidan agreed. They'd been through some pretty rough patches so far and come through them, so he had high hopes for them.

"So I'll try to not mess up your year too much."

[leftwithmybones]

"Good, because I got big plans," he says, given that his whole year is basically revolving around finishing up this Council term and then making sure he's ready to get married again, the latter of which is giving him some real panic attacks. "Seeing as Rachel's obviously going to be there in July, I take it I'll be seeing you at the wedding, too?"

[likesthestooges]

"If she gets a plus one invitation I really hope I'm the one she picks," he said. It was pretty safe to assume at this point in their relationship though that he was the one she'd take. That sort of surety is comforting.

"Congratulations, by the way.'

[leftwithmybones]

McCoy waves off the congratulations with ease. He'd rather not spend all of his time talking about how brave or courageous or loving what he did was. It's as simple as wanting to spend his life with Jim -- that's it. "Hey, she could pick a stranger, I'm not saying it's out of the question, though it would be sort of strange."

[likesthestooges]

"Well I'll just make extra sure around that time I don't do anything stupid that would make her too upset to take me," Aidan said.

Despite his age, he was still pretty terrible at relationships. He'd really only had one or two healthy relationships in his life and the rest were just awful. Aidan wanted Rachel to be one of the exceptions to that.

[leftwithmybones]

"See? We're all going to get along just great so long as you remember to follow up with that," he says, the picture of an accommodating man, smiling easily. "Plus, then, I won't have to stop making sweet yam mash for you. And that's just good news for everyone involved."

[likesthestooges]

"Trust me, I don't do the stupid things on purpose," he said with a laugh, thinking back to the few fights that he and Rachel have had.

"Usually they're just really misguided attempts to do the right thing that in hindsight are a horrible idea."