:=: Kara :=:

"Yes!" Jessica was smiling widely. "We did it!"

Kara was grinning as well, and commented "I've never seen anyone so excited to be in a public washroom before."

Jess giggled, "Quiet you!"

The reason their girlfriend was excited wasn't the washroom itself of course, but the fact that they'd just successfully teleported here from home. A few seconds ago they'd both been in their bedroom at the condo, and now they were in the ladies' restroom at the Lowenberger dining hall. They weren't even that tired from the spell, which was nice. They'd spent much of the past two months practicing magic, of course. They would both be recovered enough to jump back home again this afternoon.

It wasn't actually a difficult spell to use once they understood it. Apart from the power requirements, that is. They needed to be able too see where they were going, in order to teleport. Which meant if they wanted to go further than across the hall or to the other side of a window, they needed to magically see where they were heading.

So like the clairvoyance spell, they needed some kind of anchor, either emotional or physical. They'd always be able to teleport home, or to each other, or other members of their chosen family. But for most places, they'd need something else to tie them to the spot.

Last week, they'd visited the ladies room and Kara used their sword to pry the rubber door stopper off the wall inside the washroom. That was their anchor back here, and it let them check first that no-one was in the washroom. Later today, after their coffee meet-up with the others, they'd be able to teleport back home from wherever it was convenient.

For now, they had forty-five minutes before they had to get to their first class with Ms. Winters. Time enough for a relaxed breakfast then a leisurely walk across the campus.

:=: Tanya :=:

Tanya settled into her seat next to Cindy and started eating. She had two slices of pizza and a can of cola today, and Cindy had her usual sandwich and a little carton of chocolate milk.

They were in the far corner of the cafeteria again. The two of them had sort of claimed this spot as their own. It was a bit darker, some of the overhead fluorescent lights didn't always work right, but they didn't mind that. What they liked was that anyone who wanted to come and talk to them, or bug them, had to go out of their way to do so. And the two of them would see anyone coming their way.

It had been a full week though, since anybody had tried to pick on either of them. Tanya wasn't even sure what had changed, but she suspected Cindy had finally used some magic. Valerie and Alexis had mostly kept their distance. James and his lackeys, Mitch and Sean, had ignored them.

As they ate, Tanya commented quietly "I don't know what you did, Cindy, but it's like nobody wants to mess with us any more."

The small teen shrugged slightly and suppressed a smirk. She whispered, "I maybe did a little something... And maybe it didn't go exactly like I planned, but seems like things worked out ok after all."

Tanya grinned. "Are you gonna tell me what you did?"

"Well..." Cindy smiled, then she paused. "Huh. We've got company."

Tanya looked up then frowned a little. "I wonder what she wants."

Becky Eckhart was sort of nervously approaching them, carrying her lunch tray.

Cindy said quietly, "I dunno, but let's give her a chance."

Becky had always been a bit of a loner. She was the same age as her and Cindy, and they shared a couple classes, but the girl didn't really seem to have any friends. As far as Tanya could remember, she'd always been something of a tomboy. Her strawberry blonde hair used to be almost as long as Tanya's, but she'd recently cut it to an inch or so above her shoulders. She always wore jeans and t-shirts, and never bothered with make-up. Her ears were pierced but she didn't wear any jewelry.

She was still sort of pretty even without make-up, but she'd always brushed off any advances from the boys, and eventually they'd stopped asking. There were a few rumours that she was gay, and last spring a rumour surfaced briefly that she'd tried to hook up with Valerie. Valerie had denied it of course, and everyone stopped talking about it fairly quickly.

They watched as Becky made her way to them. She stood on the other side of the table, and asked, "Uh, hi... Can I sit with you two?"

Cindy nodded, "Yep."

Tanya watched as Becky sat down across from them both, then quietly started eating. She had a salad and a bottle of water for lunch.

After a minute or two of awkward silence, Becky asked, "Cindy, can I talk with you? Later maybe, in private or whatever?"

Tanya raised an eyebrow, wondering what this was about. It really wasn't much of a secret that she and Cindy were together, so she doubted Becky was looking to ask Cindy out or anything.

Cindy replied softly, "We can talk now if you want. It's ok, Tanya's in the coven with me. Just keep it quiet."

Tanya blinked, looking at Cindy in surprise. They weren't supposed to say stuff like that in public.

Becky sighed, "Fuck. That figures. I should've guessed."

"Cindy, what's this about?" Tanya asked.

Her friend leaned closer and tilted her head up a bit, so she could whisper in Tanya's ear. "Remember Bill and Susan?"

Tanya frowned. For a moment the names didn't mean anything to her, but then suddenly everything made sense. Her eyes went wide and she clamped a hand over her mouth in shock as she stared across the table at Becky.

Cindy was smirking a bit, and Becky just shrugged a little, looking resigned.

Finally Tanya whispered to her friend, "Holy shit Cindy! There's no half-way with you, is there?! I thought you'd just scare them a bit or whatever, not... This!" She looked back at Becky, who was now blushing slightly.

Still smirking slightly, Cindy admitted "Things didn't exactly work out like I expected. I was gonna let them sweat for a day or two, then swap them back again. I figured that'd be enough to convince them to leave us alone."

"So what happened?" Tanya asked, eyes still wide.

"Sean didn't wanna swap back. He decided he wanted to stay that way." Cindy replied quietly. "The way my spell worked, I couldn't swap them back unless they both wanted it."

Tanya gasped, "Shit..."

Becky sighed, "I never fucking saw that coming either. I mean... I had no idea he'd be so quick to throw me under the bus like that, just to get what he wanted. He's such a dick."

Cindy shrugged a little, "He was always a jerk, Becky. You weren't much better."

Becky sighed again, "Yeah... You're right." She added, "I'm sorry Cindy, Tanya, for all the stuff I said and all that."

Cindy just nodded quietly.

Tanya said, "It's ok Becky... I guess you're not like that any more." She then frowned and asked Cindy, "So how come Sean got what he wanted while Becky was stuck? Sean was the worst of the two."

Cindy pointed out, "It hasn't been that great for him. He went from queen of the bitches, to second runner-up lackey to James. I get the feeling the only reason he has any friends at all is cos he's letting James and Mitch boss him around."

Becky then added quietly, "It might be worse than that. He texted me a few times last week, with some questions. To 'compare notes' I guess."

Cindy and Tanya both looked at their new companion, and Cindy asked, "What do you mean?"

Becky replied quietly, "He never actually said it, but from the stuff he was asking... I think he has trouble, uh... Getting it up."

Cindy's eyes went wide in surprise, and Tanya put a hand over her mouth. Both of them were quiet for a few moments.

"Well..." Cindy said quietly, "She knew Sean was the one who'd been tripping me, and She knew Sean was the one who knocked me down the stairs... I guess I'm not surprised that She'd have a little extra punishment in there for him. Maybe a little surprised that's how She decided to do it, though..."

The three of them stayed quiet for another few moments. Then Cindy looked at Becky with a bit of a naughty grin and asked, "How about you, Becky? Everything functioning ok down there for you?"

Becky's face went bright red and she stared down at her plate. Keeping her eyes down, she replied quietly, "It's fine..."

Cindy and Tanya both giggled a bit.

Tanya was still grinning as she whispered, "How long'd it take you to find out?"

Becky's cheeks got even brighter red, still staring at her salad. "The first night..."

The two friends giggled a little more, then let it drop. Tanya could see Becky was uncomfortable, and she didn't want to tease the former bully too much.

They all turned their attention back to their food, eating a bit more in silence.

After another minute or so Cindy looked up at Becky. She said quietly, "Hey Becky. Here's two pieces of advice for you. First, the sooner you embrace your new life, the happier you'll be. Don't try to cling to the past, just let it go. You don't have to forget about that stuff, but the less you dwell on it, the easier it'll be to move forward."

After a pause, she continued "And second, you don't hafta stay a tomboy loner if you don't wanna. You can pick your own style and look and stuff. Choose who you wanna be, and start living the life you want for yourself."

Tanya nodded in agreement, "She's right, Becky. I can give you some tips on make-up and stuff, if you don't already know how. Or there's lots of stuff online you can learn from."

The tomboy frowned, still staring at her plate. She finally looked at both Tanya and Cindy and asked quietly, "How do you know that'll make me happier?"

Cindy shrugged, "Experience. Like my friend said last week. This sort of thing happens a lot. Way more than you'd think."

Tanya just nodded quietly. She'd made that decision for herself back at the end of December, to try and forget who she'd been and just embrace who she was now. And she felt so much happier for it.

She hadn't specifically said anything to Cindy about it, but she knew her friend had picked up on it a couple weeks ago. The small blonde had stopped talking to her about the past, and Tanya was grateful for that.

Tanya decided she'd do the same for the tomboy. She wouldn't bring up Becky's original past, and wouldn't mention her old name.

The three of them were quiet again for a while. Finally, after they were all finished eating Becky asked quietly, "Cindy, Tanya... Can I be friends with you two?"

Tanya was a little surprised, but she realized the girl was probably pretty lonely now. She'd gone from being one of the most popular kids, to as much of an outcast as herself and Cindy. Except Becky was on her own. At least she and Cindy had each other.

She looked to her friend, and the small teen looked back at her. They both nodded slightly.

Tanya then replied, "Sure, Becky. Us 'outcasts' gotta stick together, right?"

Cindy said, "Yeah, agreed." She looked at Becky and nodded, "Friends."

Becky smiled slightly at them both and said "Thanks."

:=: Jessica :=:

Jess had another sip of her coffee, then asked, "How're you doing, Kara? Ready for this?"

Kara nodded slightly. "A little apprehensive. I hope it goes ok, but I know it might be a mess."

It was about half past eleven in the morning, and they had just eaten brunch at a little diner off the main street. They were in Essex, and soon they'd be heading over to Kara's family home. They'd arrived in town yesterday evening, had dinner at a local steak house, then spent the night at a hotel. Today was Thursday, and March break would be over soon.

Kara wasn't thrilled about coming home, but there were a few belongings they wanted to retrieve, sentimental stuff. They'd borrowed Nikki's new Land Rover, since it was a lot more spacious and comfortable for the long drive. It had taken just under four hours to get here yesterday, and there'd be an equally long drive back home again this afternoon.

Jess nodded, and asked "They know we're coming, right?"

"Yeah. I emailed on Monday. Told them I was coming to pick up some things." Kara answered.

Jessica nodded again. "I hope it goes well. I mean... They won't be nasty or whatever, will they?"

Kara shrugged slightly. "They'd better not. I don't..." They shook their head. "They won't be able to push me around any more, is all. I hope they don't try."

Jess sighed but nodded again. In the past week or so, she and Kara had both shared a little more about their pasts, their families. Jess still wouldn't talk about what happened with her biological father at new years, but she had told Kara how her bio-parents were a pair of hateful bigots, and the way they'd treated her when she came out as trans when she was a kid.

And Kara had admitted their parents were kind of similar. Big on religion when it came to hating anyone different, but they fell short on the parts about loving thy neighbour and turning the other cheek. Kara had been a tomboy when they were young, and if they'd known about being non-binary or gender-non-conforming as a kid, they'd have probably tried to come out as such much earlier.

As it was, when Kara had reached their teens, their folks had started forcing them to act more like a 'proper young lady'. They'd been forced to wear skirts and dresses, and their mother started trying to arrange dates for them with local boys.

In a way it sounded to Jessica like they'd both come from similar situations. Jess had run away from home as soon as she could, but Kara had stayed home and endured, until they were able to escape to university.

When they were both finished their coffee, they left the diner. Kara slipped behind the wheel of the big black SUV. The drive only took about ten minutes, heading south-west out of town and into the surrounding countryside.

Kara turned off the dirt road and they drove up a long gravel driveway. Ahead of them was a small two-story farmhouse, and a little ways past that was a barn and a few other outbuildings. To either side were open fields. It was the middle of March and there was still snow on the ground, but Jess assumed that soon there'd be crops of some kind growing here.

The brand-new luxury SUV had looked a little out-of-place in town, but it felt even more so here. There were two pick-up trucks parked infront of the house. A couple old Fords, one looked at least seven or eight years old, the other about twice that. Kara pulled the Rover around and finally parked it facing back out towards the road. Ready, perhaps, to make a quick get-away.

Finally they cut the engine and sighed, "Let's do this."

Jess nodded and the two emerged from the vehicle. She let Kara lead the way, following right behind them.

Kara ignored what looked like the front door and walked over to the side-door. They knocked once then opened it and stepped inside. Once Jess was in as well, they shut the door and called, "Mom? Dad? I'm home."

Jessica glanced around. The first thing she noticed was the air in here was thick with the smell of cigarettes.

They were in the living-room. There were large windows on either side of the room, giving a good view of the land, the driveway, and the road. A wood stove sat a few feet to the left of the doorway, and Jess could feel the heat coming off of it. There was an L-shaped sofa in the corner against the left and back walls. Next to that sat a desk and chair against the back wall, and a rocking chair was sat in the middle of the room. A large round coffee table sat between the sofa and the rocking chair. There was a large dirty ashtray on the table.

A doorway on the far wall beside the desk led into a large country kitchen, and there she saw Kara's mother. The family resemblance was obvious. The older woman was a couple inches shorter than Kara, and her sandy blonde hair hung down just past her shoulders. She looked to be in her early forties, but appeared to be slim and fit, much like Kara. The woman was wearing some slip-on running shoes, an ankle-length blue denim skirt, and a large grey sweater.

She glared. "Kara Marie Duncan, what in God's name are you wearing, girl?"

Kara of course was in one of their typical outfits. They had their black combat boots on, their favourite mens-cut blue jeans, and a navy-blue winter jacket. Under the jacket they were wearing a button-down flannel shirt.

Jess was similarly dressed, with ankle boots, skinny-jeans, and a tight t-shirt under her red winter jacket.

Before Kara could respond, the woman had turned her eyes on Jess and asked, "Is this your room-mate? Kelly, I think you said her name was?"

Jess saw Kara clench their teeth for a moment, and they whispered under their breath, "That's one." Then they stated, "This is my girlfriend, Jessica. You know that mom, I told you in the email the other day." They looked at Jess and said, "Jessica, this is my mother, Laura."

Jessica decided to play nice for now, and smiled, "Hello Laura, nice to meet you."

"That's Mrs. Duncan, or ma'am, young lady." the woman replied in a stern voice.

Kara gave Jess an apologetic look, then asked, "Where's dad?"

Mrs. Duncan replied, "Your father is out back, checking the fence. He'll be done soon."

Kara just nodded, "Fine. We're going to my room to pack up a few things." They nodded to Jess, then led her into the kitchen.

Mrs. Duncan watched as the two walked past.

Jess glanced around as Kara led her through the house. The kitchen was a good size, and looked like it had recently been renovated. To the right of the kitchen was a small room that led to the front door. There were an assortment of coats, jackets, and raincoats hanging on pegs, and a few dozen pairs of shoes and boots on the floor.

Past the kitchen was a formal-looking dining room, that appeared mostly unused. In between the kitchen and dining room, there was a bathroom on the right, and to the left was a steep, narrow staircase.

Kara led Jess up the stairs. The upper floor felt rather cramped. It was dark, with a narrow hall and low ceiling. There were three doors, and they went through the one at the end on the right.

"This was my room." Kara sighed.

It was small. The bed was a mattress and box-spring on the floor. The bookcase was a couple wood planks separated by loose bricks. The closet didn't have a door on it. Jess could see clothes still inside, mostly dresses, skirts, blouses. There was a small dresser. A small window over the bed provided a little light, and a view of the barn and outbuildings.

Jess stayed quiet as Kara dug a gym bag out of the closet, then started going through the bookcase first. They pulled out about a dozen books. Jess saw a couple high-school yearbooks and a photo album go in the bag, the rest were various novels that looked well-worn, like they'd been read several times over.

"Sorry about mom." Kara said quietly as they continued filling their satchel. "Dad's probably not gonna be much better."

"It's ok, Kara." Jessica shrugged. "I'm glad you came back to get what you wanted, and I'm glad I could be here with you."

Kara smiled slightly, then moved to the dresser and opened the two top drawers. They spent another ten minutes or so going through various knick-knacks and keepsakes. Some went into the bag, some went back in the drawers.

When they were finished, they zipped the gym back closed. "That's it. Let's put this in the car. Then we can just leave..."

Jessica nodded quietly, and followed as they made their way back down the stairs.

As they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Duncan stated, "You two are staying for a while. I've put the coffee on, and there's sandwiches."

Kara glanced at Jess. Before either could reply, the side door opened and Jess saw Kara's dad come in.

He was a tall man, easily six feet or more. That's where Kara got her height, Jess figured. Mr. Duncan was wearing overalls and a jacket, and had a pair of work-boots on. He stepped out of the boots though and left them by the door. He was also carrying a shotgun, which he leaned against the wall in the corner next to the door.

Jess tensed a little when she saw the gun, and she could tell Kara wasn't happy about it either.

"Hi dad. What's with the gun?"

Mr. Duncan had short hair, that was dark but going to grey. He had a short moustache too. He had some extra weight around the middle, but apart from that he still looked fairly strong and healthy. There was a cigarette between his lips.

He frowned at Kara, looking her over. Jess could tell he wasn't happy about how they were dressed, but he didn't comment on it.

"Got some gophers trying to move in at the back fields." He shrugged, then asked, "Who's the red-head?"

Kara stated, "Like I said in my emails dad, this is my girlfriend, Jessica." They stressed the world 'girlfriend' as they spoke. Then they looked at Jess and added, "Jess, this is my dad, Colin."

Kara's mother spoke up behind them, "Jessica is one of Kara's little school friends, Colin." She then stated towards Jess, "That's sir, or Mr. Duncan to you."

Jess heard Kara mutter softly, "That's two." Then they spoke up, "Dad, put the gun away, or we're leaving."

Mr. Duncan just laughed a little, "Girl, you don't tell me what to do in my own house. I knew we shouldn't have let you go off so far for college. We raised our daughter to have better manners than that."

Jessica stayed quiet, but she could feel the tension around Kara.

Then just like that, the tension was gone. Instead of getting angry or defensive, Kara just flashed their lopsided grin and said, "I'm not a girl, and I'm not your daughter."

Mrs. Duncan demanded, "What sort of nonsense is that, Kara?"

"I'm non-binary. Not a girl, not a boy. You two can look that up later." They looked to Jess, "Let's go, Jess. I think that's about as much of this place as I can take."

Jessica nodded, and followed as they walked towards the door. They'd have to go past Mr. Duncan, and Kara kept themself between Jess and their dad.

Mrs. Duncan followed, demanding "Young lady you're not going to walk out of here like that! We haven't seen you in seven months, you don't just show up, mouth off, then turn your back on your family!"

Kara's dad had moved to block the door, and stated, "You mind your mother, girl."

"That's three." The tall blonde stated. "Get out of the way dad."

Kara was still holding the gym bag in their left hand, when their dad put his hand on their shoulder.

Kara didn't even flinch. They just reached up with their right hand and grabbed the old man's wrist. Then they squeezed and twisted.

Colin let out a yelp of surprise and pain, and fell to his knees as Kara held his wrist tight. From what Jess could see, the man's arm wasn't broken, but it was probably close.

Then Jessica felt a little tingle of magic, and she realized the shotgun had vanished.

Colin's face was twisted in pain and he was grabbing at Kara's arm with his free hand. He was struggling, trying to get them to let go of his wrist.

Laura gasped, eyes wide. "Kara Marie Duncan, you let go of your father this instant!"

Despite their father's struggles, Kara looked like they weren't even exerting themself. There wasn't even any stress in their voice as they asked, "Jess, could you get the door please?"

Jess nodded and stepped past Kara and their father. She opened the door and stepped outside.

Kara then let go of their old man's wrist and said calmly, "Bye mom, bye dad." They followed Jess back to the Land Rover, and climbed inside.

Jess had stayed silent through the whole situation, but as Kara started the engine she asked, "Are you ok?"

Kara chuckled, "Better than ok. You have no idea how good that felt, Jess."

Jessica smiled, relieved. As they started down the driveway, she asked "What did you do with the shotgun?"

Kara grinned. "Teleport spell. They might find it downstairs in the cold-cellar... But if it worked like I wanted, then it'll actually be buried in whatever rock or dirt's about four or five meters below that."

The tall blonde's expression then got serious again. "Thanks for coming, Jess. Sorry it wasn't a nice visit. Two days of our March break, for thirty minutes of family bullshit..."

"It's ok Kara. Anything for you." Jess smiled. "I'm glad you got the stuff you wanted, and that I could keep you company."

:=: Samantha :=:

Jessica looked her over again and nodded. "It's fine. You look great sis. Just stop fidgeting."

Sam turned around and checked herself in the mirror again. She was wearing a long flowing white gown. With the deep neckline of the gown, her protection amulet would have looked strangely out of place around her neck. So for today it was wound around her ankle, hidden under the ruffles of the long dress.

She triple-checked her hair and makeup, then bit her lower lip.

"Maybe I should have gone with a veil after all..."

Jess rolled her eyes, "Way too late to think about that, sis. I told you, you look fine. Better than fine, you look fantastic!"

Sam turned and smiled at her. "Thanks Jessica."

Her sister looked pretty good today too. She was in a dress as well, for a change. It was a deep emerald green colour, and the redhead looked fairly stunning. Not quite beautiful enough to eclipse her sister, of course.

Jess picked up her handbag and pulled out her phone, checking the time. "We've got another fifteen minutes. Do you want something to drink or anything? Water? Wine? A shot of vodka?"

Sam shook her head, "No, no, and absolutely not."

She knew she shouldn't be this nervous. Yesterday, she and Nikki had gone down to city hall. Jess and Kara were there too, as witnesses. The legal stuff was already finished, the paperwork complete. Today was just the formality, the public ritual stuff.

Today was also the day all their family and friends would be present, and that's why Samantha was tense. The legal stuff had been fairly meaningless and uneventful. She and Nikki had already been bound for a year and a half now anyways, through the Goddess. Today though, they'd become bound together in the eyes of everyone else.

It was the last Saturday of May, and the weather was gorgeous. They were at a small winery, though it wasn't their own. It was pretty though, about a half hour north-east of town, and set on the side of a hill. The ceremony would take place in an orchard, where the fruit trees were all in bloom. Beyond the orchard, there were rows and rows of grape vines.

Jess was Sam's maid of honour, and she was taking the job seriously. Well, mostly seriously. She kept the mood light enough that Sam didn't get too tense or uptight.

In a similar room nearby, she knew Nikki was getting ready as well. Cindy would be there too, the small teen was maid of honour for Sam's fiancée.

And nearby, their families and friends were waiting, sitting on rows of folding chairs in the gorgeous spring afternoon weather. There was wine and snacks out there for the guests, but the actual reception would be this evening.

Sam paced a bit more then finally looked at her sister. "Ok, I need a glass of wine."

Jessica grinned and slipped out of the room. She was back a minute later, carrying two glasses of chilled white white.

Sam took one and drank half of it in one go.

"Woah there sis!" Jessica laughed. "I thought you were worried about wobbling up the aisle."

Sam giggled nervously, "I'll be leaning on dad. He'll keep me from falling over." She then asked, "How's it look out there?"

"It's fine, sis. Everyone's starting to take their seats, I think it's almost time. Another couple minutes."

Samantha nodded and paced a bit more, sipping her wine. Jess watched, staying fairly relaxed. She had a few sips from her own glass.

Eventually Sam asked, "Did you see Nikki? How's she doing?"

"I didn't see her, sis." Jess shook her head. "I'm sure she's fine though. Cindy's taking care of her."

Sam nodded. "You have the ring, right?"

Jess rolled her eyes, "For the eleventeenth time, yes." She slipped her fingers into a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled it out. "Ok?" She then tucked it away again.

Sam paced a bit more, then nearly jumped when there was a light knock at the door.

Her dad asked quietly, "Everyone decent in there?"

Jess opened the door, "Yes dad, we're decent. Is it time?"

Their dad was looking good, he'd been to a barber yesterday, and mom had got his suit tailored so it fit him right.

He nodded, "Yeah kiddo, it's time." He then looked at Sam. "Are you ready, Sam?"

Sam took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready."

She picked up her bouquet. It was an arrangement of white carnations and pink roses. Her dad looped his arm through hers, and the two of them headed out together, with Jessica following right behind.

There was a short walk down a hallway and then they stepped outside. Another short walk across a nicely manicured lawn, and then she was standing at the end of the 'aisle', with a collection of chairs on either side. There were flower arrangements set out, and of course all the fruit trees were in bloom.

Everyone was turning and looking now.

There weren't actually that many people here. Her mother sat on the left, up at the front row, next to an empty seat where dad would sit. Some cousins, an aunt and uncle were along the left side. A couple friends from Innisfil she hadn't seen in years were there too. And some local friends from university were here. Brooke and Craig were both there. Brooke had a huge smile on her face, of course she's the one who brought Sam and Nikki together in the first place.

On the right, Sam could see Nikki's mom in the front row, and a few people she vaguely remembered were other relatives of the Elliot family. There were a handful of people Nikki had known from the winery where she used to work, but no old friends, no childhood friends. No-one from Nikki's past, apart from relatives. And Tanya was there, sitting on the right side, to help balance out the seating.

Finally, at the end of the aisle there was a simple white podium. And standing next to that, was Kara. The tall blonde enby was wearing an immaculately fitted tuxedo.

There had been several discussions about who'd be officiating the ceremony, since it wasn't going to be a traditional thing and there certainly wouldn't be a normal priest. If it were anyone else getting married, Sam would have been doing it since she was their priestess.

Jess had offered first, but Sam wanted her sister to be her maid of honour. Cindy had offered, but grudgingly had to accept that she looked too young, and the guests wouldn't take her seriously.

In the end, Kara had volunteered to do it and Sam and Nikki had agreed they would be perfect for the job.

Sam took a deep breath, then she let her dad start guiding her down the aisle, between the rows of seats. Jess followed along behind her. Everyone was watching, staring at her. There were smiles, and there were a few happy tears.

When they got to the end, her dad gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek, then he stepped back and sat down next to mom.

Sam heard her sister whisper a little "Rawr!" as she smiled at Kara. The blonde was rocking their tux, and Jess obviously loved how it looked on them.

Then Sam and Jess looked back the way they'd come.

A minute later, Nikki came into view along with Mr. Elliot, and Cindy followed behind.

Nicole was dressed in a gown identical to Samantha's, except Nikki's was jet black. The two outfits were perfectly matched, but opposite shades. Nikki's bouquet was black roses and pink carnations. Nikki's make-up of course was her typical goth, with the dark lipstick, eyeshadow and eyeliner.

Sam bit her lip, grinning and also holding back happy tears as she watched Mr. Elliot walk Nikki down the aisle towards her.

Finally, Simon stepped aside and sat down next to Faye, while Nikki took her place beside Sam. Cindy was smiling happily as she moved into her position as well, on the other side of Nicole.

The small teen was wearing a gorgeous pink dress, in a similar style to the green one Jessica wore. The teen had some subtle make-up on, and like the rest of them, her hair had been professionally styled. Despite her small size, she looked very much like a sixteen year old today. She looked like a young woman, rather than a kid playing dress-up.

Finally the four of them turned towards the podium, and Kara smiled looking them all over. Then they cleared their throat, then began the ceremony.

It was fairly unique. Sam and Nikki had put it together with the others' help. Mostly it was based on a modern Wiccan handfasting ritual, but they'd made various adjustments and modifications. The two pledged their love and devotion to each other, in the names of Dôn, Ceridwen, and Arianrhod. A few of their vows were spoken in medieval Welsh, so that the guests wouldn't catch the parts about Sam being the priestess and Nikki the embodied.

Finally, the two exchanged rings. Like their gowns, the rings were the same but opposite. Samantha smiled widely as Nikki slipped a white-gold band on her finger, then Nicole grinned as Sam slipped a black-gold ring on hers. They were different colours, but they were the same style, and both had three little stones set in them.

Sam's ring had a small square of diamond between two small squares of onyx. Nikki's was reversed, onyx between two little diamonds.

With the rings exchanged, Kara smiled and announced, "I proclaim you, Mrs. and Mrs. Elliot-Carlisle. Brides, you may kiss."

Sam and Nikki wrapped their arms around each other and held tight, lips pressed together as they shared their first kiss as newlyweds.

:=: Nicole :=:

Nikki grinned happily as she looked around. They were at the reception now. The ceremony was a few hours behind them, and she and Sam had gone to their room in the hotel and got changed. Sam was now wearing a shorter more-comfortable skirt and blouse, while Nikki was in one of her favourite black tea-dresses.

The two of them were seated in the middle of the head table. To Nikki's left were her mom and then her dad. And to Sam's right, sat Mary and then George.

Jess and Kara, and Cindy and Tanya were sitting at a table just to the right, and the other guests sat at the remaining tables infront of them.

A few out of town guests would be staying in the adjoining hotel tonight. Sam and Nikki had the 'honeymoon suite' of course. Most would be heading home afterwards though, including Nikki's parents, and their four coven-mates.

Everyone had just finished dinner, and now the two fathers were preparing to make some potentially embarrassing speeches.

Nikki finished her glass of champagne and leaned against Sam, slipping her arm around her wife's waist. Sam smiled happily and did the same. Both of them were almost overflowing with happiness as they sat together infront of all their friends and family.

Her dad stood up and started talking first, and Nikki was a little surprised but grateful that there were very few cringe-worthy moments during the speech.

Then George stood up and started. Sam grimaced as her dad managed to deliver the cringe much more effectively.

Still, everyone laughed and there were a few more toasts. Then Sam and Nikki went to cut the cake together. Cindy and Tanya had worked together on that, and come up with a beautiful four-tier masterpiece.

Eventually the tables were cleared and moved to the edges of the room. There was music, dancing, more wine, and lots of talking and mingling.

Sam and Nikki danced a bit, talked with the guests, but finally wound up sitting around a table with their coven-mates. Jess and Kara were sitting close, arms around each other. Jess was smiling happily, Kara had that crooked grin on their face. Cindy and Tanya looked happy too, but they were both looking a bit tired. Nikki suspected the two teens had snuck themselves a glass of wine or two, and the alcohol was making them sleepy.

Still, everyone seemed happy. She knew that she and Sam certainly were. She hadn't smiled this much since they first saw their new land back in January. In fact, today might even top that.

She spotted her mom and dad as they approached. They were coming to bid the two brides goodnight. Nikki and Sam stood up and hugged them both, and her mom wiped some more tears away as she said "Good night Nikki, good night Samantha."

Nikki smiled, "Drive safe you two." She asked, "You haven't had too much to drink have you, dad?"

"Just one glass of champagne, and then coffee. Don't worry about your old man." dad smiled.

A little while later, the Carlisles were getting ready to go as well. They were staying in the hotel, so they'd both indulged a little more in the drinks tonight.

George hugged them both, and Jess as well, bidding everyone a good night.

Mary did the same, then before leaving she asked, "Now how much longer are you going to make your mother wait, before I can expect grandkids?"

Jess giggled a little. Sam shrugged, "It's going to be a few years, mom, so don't get too impatient. Nikki and I both have plans, there's things we want to do first, before we're ready to be moms."

Nikki just smiled and nodded, "Give us three or four years, Mary. Then maybe we'll be ready."

That seemed to satisfy her mother-in-law, as Mary just smiled happily at them both. Then she and George headed away.

When they were gone, Jess leaned closer and asked, "Were you two serious? That's a huge change from all the squirming you both did last time mom started pushing for grands."

Samantha smiled, "We're married now, Jess. Of course we'll have kids at some point, but there's a lot of work we want to do first."

Nicole nodded, putting an arm around her wife as they sat back together.

Jessica was still surprised and seemed very curious. "Have you two already been talking about this? Were you thinking of adopting? Or finding a donor? Or...?"

Nikki smirked a little, "Jessica. We have access to transformative magic and ancient fertility rituals. When your sister and I are ready to be moms, we'll make it happen. And we won't need to worry about getting anyone else involved in that."

Kara chuckled a little and nudged their girlfriend, "I think I have a pretty good idea what Nikki has in mind, Jess."

Jess blinked, then grinned. "Oh... Right."

Sam leaned in a little closer to Nikki and smiled. "Perhaps we'll even take turns... What do you think love? We have a few years to decide, who gets to be mom first."

Nicole grinned, "Perhaps."

Jessica giggled a little as she watched them both.

Eventually the party quieted down as the night wore on. The guests bid them a good night, congratulated them again, then either headed home, or to their hotel rooms.

Cindy and Tanya were about ready to crash, so Jess and Kara had packed the girls up in the car and set out for the condo.

Now Samantha and Nikki were alone in their hotel suite. There was a large bed, a Jacuzzi tub, another bottle of champagne chilling in ice, and some chocolates and strawberries on the table.

They had a little more champagne, tried a few strawberries and chocolates, but it had been a long day and they were both pretty much worn out. They'd be here a few more days, so there was lots of time to enjoy everything.

Before long, they were in bed together, cuddled up close. Nikki on her side, Sam behind her, spooning.

"Goodnight, wife." Sam whispered in her ear.

"Goodnight, wife." Nikki whispered back, with a wide smile on her face.