Wedding Bells Part 2: The Reception

[Emily Shale-Vanders]

The song came to an end and Emily gave Auri a hug before speaking. "Thank you for the dance, Auri." She took the girl by the hand and led her back to her mother.

A commotion had started - not a fight, but a fleeing of the Dominion in their midst. Jay was making his way out of the hall, clearly upset at something. It wasn't much more than some pushing of shoulders, but it was enough to draw the attention of those in the hall. Emily's eyes went to Jared, who had stared at his friend's exodus with a look of growing concern on his face. Jared hadn't expected this. A moment passed before everyone seemed to go back to normal as things usually happen in this situation. There was always some sort of drama and it would be recognized and filed away by most, but Jared kept staring.

Emily worked her way towards him, noting Rachel and Kiriena were nearby. Jared's eyes hadn't moved from the door which Jay had exited from. Emily had met Jay today, and even though she had neglected to say anything when they had, Jared had spoken of his friend and brother in-ams. He had always spoken very highly of Jay. That was enough for Emily.

"Is he okay?" Emily asked, knowing the answer.

Jared shook his head as if coming out of a daze. "No, he is not."

Jared turned to face her, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. Not hurt at Jay's departure, but hurt at his brother's pain. She saw his concern and knew she felt it too. Emily moved closer and wrapped her husband in a hug, pulling him tight. He reciprocated, clinging with a desperate need. Emily knew what Jared wanted to do, and knew that internally he was struggling with what should have been an easy decision. She knew what she had to do. She could not be selfish.

"Go to him," she whispered into his ear.

A moment passed. "You sure?"

She kissed his cheek. "Leave no man behind," she whispered back. Emily had married a soldier, and tonight her soldier had been called to fight. To fight for his brother.

Jared loosened his hold to look at her before giving her a kiss. "Thank you," was all he said. It was all he needed to say. He looked at her, took her hands, kissed her once again before turning to follow Jay out. As Jared had before, her eyes stayed on him until he exited.

[Jared Vanders]

Something was wrong. The look in Jay's eyes before he left lingered in Jared's mind. There were ghosts behind those eyes. Jay wasn't just hurting. Jay was in a crisis situation. They had both seen some shit in Sierra Leone, and Jay was a Dominion now. He had probably seen more shit since then, and he wasn't coping well. That was clear enough. Jared watched as Jay left, his eyes the only thing moving as Jay opened the door and walked out.

Everything in Jared longed to follow, longed to do something, but he remained frozen, glued to the spot on the floor. His eyes stared at the spot, unsure of how to proceed. He was no therapist. What could he say to help. Probably nothing. But he couldn't just stay. He couldn't do nothing while Jay was like this. But he had to stay here. This was his wedding.

Emily came to him and spoke softly, breaking him out of his thoughts. Jared could see the concern in her eyes as well. Emily had a good heart. Jared had known many brides that would have been upset at Jay's departure, but her eyes only showed compassion. She wrapped him in a hug and he held her tightly, finding comfort in her embrace.

"Go to him," Emily spoke the words Jared needed to hear, but still his feet felt glued to the ground. When he asked for clarification she only told him. "Leave no man behind."

The words hit home as his soldier's instincts kicked in. The reason he had felt compelled to follow Jay as he left. Emily had known what Jay had meant to him, and she had read his departure as one of crisis or, more than likely, had just trusted Jared's instincts on this. He thanked her with a kiss and headed in the direction Jay had left if more carefully than his colleague.

Jay hadn't left the grounds, and Jared found him fairly quickly, sitting next to a wall, and Jared, in his wedding tuxedo, sat down right next to him. For a time there was silence. Jared didn't want to push. He felt pushing wouldn't help. Instead he was present. He was also unsure of what to say.

Eventually Jared would break the silence, opting for the truth. "I'm unsure of what to say, but if you want to talk, cry, vent, or just sit in silence, I'm here. Whatever you need." Jared left it at that, unsure if there was more he could do.