RECEPTION (People) Rating: Ethereal Facadey!

[deirdre-ionuin.livejournal.com]

Everyone had sat down to a lovely dinner after the wedding. Deirdre had taken her place up at the table with the rest of the wedding party. She'd listened through Thomas's Best Man toast, which was much the same as the speech he'd given Peter in the change room. She'd eaten the food she and Jacinta had so carefully prepared and then she'd snuck off somewhere with Pierre and Kait hot on her heels. Kat saw them go and she followed a few minutes later.

It was a surprise and no one had told Peter. Ethereal Facade had decided to play for his reception and with the dinner over, it was time. Everything had been set up beforehand and so the lights dimmed and the curtain fell and Deirdre grinned widely. She took hold of her mic and waited for Pierre to announce them. It was time for people to dance!

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[eligible-boy.livejournal.com]

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are Ethereal Facade," Pierre's voice echoed through the reception hall. "And tonight, we are here to cover your eyes..." The curtain rose to reveal the full band armed with their instruments. They were greeted with a cheer as Kat counted them into their first song of the evening, the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which would segue into A Little Help from my Friends, a song that Pierre considered particularly apt in a set that was dedicated to Peter's wedding. As usual, Alessa stood stock-still as they played, though she was smiling. Pierre and Deirdre exchanged couplets, and Tamm let out a growl and winked at Anna.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter's face looked like it had been sculpted into a grin that would never go away. This was incredible! He was...slightly shocked to see that the stripper he'd seen bare all on Thursday night was now on stage playing...but he chose to ignore that. From beside him, Anna raised her arms in the air and growled back to Tamm even though he couldn't hear and then she grabbed her daddy's hand. "Come dance, Daddy!" She yelled. Peter kissed Aly and then let himself be dragged out onto the dance floor by tiny hands. Anna climbed up on Peter's feet and Peter grinned down at her, immediately going into a dance. Slowly they were joined by more people. This was fantastic.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter continued to dance with Anna so Dylan stood and he wandered up to his Lydia. He knelt and extended his hand. "Milady. Wilst thou do me the honour of dancing with me?"

Lydia giggled and jumped up. She practically pounced on Dylan and they joined the dance floor. Thomas raised his eyebrows. "I could learn from him!" He said, amused and then he turned to Aly. "You feeling well enough for a dance? I feel it's my duty as best man while your husband is busy."

Aly grinned. "Mmmhusband. And I'd love to, Thomas. Right now I have enough energy to run a marathon." She took Thomas's hand and they spun onto the dance floor to join Peter and Anna.

"Look what I found, Peter! A gorgeous lady!" Thomas said with a grin.

"She sort of looks like my wife." Peter said, blowing Aly a kiss as Anna giggled.

Johanna sat at the table looking rejected. She'd had NO idea Ethan, her ex-boyfriend, was going to be here. She'd also had no idea he had a girlfriend. Some short English biddy. He was currently sitting next to her holding her hand and whispering in her ear. This so had to stop....

[eligible-boy.livejournal.com]

"We're going to bring things forward a little bit now, into the nineteen-seventies..." A few people laughed at Pierre's little time paradox. "It is like Back to the Future! Here is Deep Purple."

Tamm moved to stand in front of Kait on the keyboards, grinning at her as he head-banged to their old-school music. She looked really pretty with her fingers fluttering over the keys. Pierre meanwhile, stood close to Deirdre to share the microphone with her for a line or two.

Tasha noticed the blonde girl looking at Ethan unhappily, and wondered what her problem was. Ethan was the most inoffensive person in the world. She made a mental note to keep an eye on her, before turning her attention back to Hope and those around them for now.

[elizabeth-long.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth watched over her little brother as he danced with Anna. She leaned to her girlfriend and smiled. "He looks so happy, doesn't he, Emma?"

Emma grinned back at Liz. "He does indeed. And now you need to look just as happy." She pulled Liz and and towards the dancefloor. "We should have one of these, Liz."

Elizabeth grinned. "Really?! You want one?"

Emma nodded. "I really do." She winked at their Hope as she sat with her own girlfriend. "I think it would be good for us. And Hope too."

"I agree." Liz said, burying her face into Emma's hair.

Hope turned to Tasha and she squealed. "My mums are so cute!"

Ethan hugged Kali tightly, even though his ribs were still tender. "You looked absolutely gorgeous today, Kali."

Kali smiled down at her Ethan and she smoothed her fingers through his hair. "Thank you! And you look quite dashing yourself. Like a scholarly James Bond!" Ethan snorted. "No, I mean it!"

Johanna had had enough. She made sure her blonde hair was still perfect in her tiny mirror before slipping it back into her bag and then she left the table, leaving her mother and Aunt Natalia behind. She strode over to Ethan and Kali. "Hallo, Ethan."

Ethan looked up and he jumped, almost spilling Kali to the floor. She squealed and twisted around to see the blonde girl standing there. "Jo...Johanna?!" Ethan stuttered, he'd never thought he'd see his ex again. He'd left her in Germany. "What uhm...what are you doing here?"

"I'm Annaliese's cousin. She asked us to come to her new father's wedding. Her mother and my mother are here too." Johanna said, sounding superior.

Ethan knew of Johanna's family, but they had been in Vienna. Johanna was a boarder so he'd never put together that Anna was her little cousin Annaliese. Why would he? "That's...oh."

Kali looked back and forth between them until she hand enough. "HI! I'm Kali. You are?"

[eligible-boy.livejournal.com]

Pierre and Tamm had a lot of tricks in store for their audience tonight. They rocked up to each other, lights shining off leather pants as they stood close, matching each other for speed and accuracy on their strings. Their fingers flew faster and faster, each grinning widely at the other, until Pierre reached out his hand to touch Tamm's fretboard. Tamm did the same with Pierre's, the motions repeated a few times until both young men were fingering the other's fretboards. The process started again with their playing hands, reaching out to each other's guitars until their were both playing the guitar in front of them unerringly, rather than their own. The duo ended in a wail, and Pierre ruffled Tamm's hair as they stepped back from each other playing their own guitars once more.

Tasha leaned in to rub her nose against Hope's with a cute little smile. "They are adorable," she agreed, turning to look at them with her face pressed to her girlfriend's. At that moment, Christina chose to snap a photo of them from the other side of the table.

"Perfect!" she squealed, and brought the camera over to show them.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Hope grinned widely. "Tasha look, it's us!" Hope beamed at Christina. "It could go on the mantel too!"

Ethan looked at the girl in his lap and the girl standing in front of him. Oh, bloody hell. He cleared his throat. "Kali, this is my ex-girlfriend Johanna. From Heidelberg. Johanna, this is my girlfriend, Kali Vogel."

"Hello!" Kali chirped from Ethan's lap.

"Mm." Johanna said, glancing away.

Kali looked back at Ethan and she raised her eyebrows. "Okay, and we're dancing!" Ethan said, standing and letting Kali lead him to the dance floor and away from Johanna.

Johanna took over Ethan's chair and pouted.

Kat continued to play her drums on stage, glancing out over the dance floor every once in awhile. Her Thomas was dancing with Aly and it was adorable! It made her smile, and every once in awhile, he gazed up at her too, occasionally winking. That made her melt.

As the impressive gitaur trick ended, Peter turned to Thomas and Aly. "Time to swap?" He said.

"YAY! I want to dance with Uncle Thomas!" Anna said, immediately climbing on to his feet. Thomas chuckled and gave a few exaggeratedly tall steps before going in to a tamer dance.

Aly took Peter's hands and she smiled at her husband. "I love you." she said, leaning forward against him as they swayed to the music.

"I love you too, Aly." Peter said with a grin.

[eligible-boy.livejournal.com]

Ethereal Facade continued into a Led Zeppelin piece, Achilles' Last Stand, to keep the dance happening. Pierre leaned over Alessa's shoulder to reach down and play her bass in addition to her own fingers, creating a very different four-handed sound. Alessa's expression and movement barely betrayed Pierre's presence, save for the way she tilted her head towards him a little with a smile.

"Oh my, aren't we gorgeous?" Tasha grinned, and kissed Hope softly.

"Beyond gorgeous, sweethearts." Christina kissed them both on the cheek before moving into the throng for more photo opportunities, or maybe a dance.

"Zeppeliiiiiiiin!" David yelled out, and launched himself onto one of the tables that had thankfully been cleared of food and drink. He turned towards the stage as he danced, singing along with Pierre and Deirdre.

Charlotte laughed as Thomas danced with Anna, making her squeal with his large steps, then spun her way over to dance near Ethan and Kali. "Weddings are great!" she declared.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter spun Aly and then dipped her, which gave her a clear view of her brother on the tables singing like a knobend. He was, of course, upside down. Peter looked at David too and then he pulled Aly close. "David's a party animal! I think your cousins bring it out in him! Look...there he goes." Aly just chuckled and shook her head, wondering if her Mama would attack David again with her shoe.

Thomas gave David a thumbs up and Anna copied him, adding a "Go Uncle David!" to the mix.

Ethan laughed as Charlotte neared them. "They are indeed!" He spun around and glimpsed David. "Oh and look at the Nutty Professor over there. Dacning on tables, my goodness."

Kali grinned. "That's my boss!" She said happily.

"That's my mentor!" Ethan said incredulously.

Deirdre was having the time of her life on stage in front of everyone she loved...and some people she didn't know. It was great!

Evey spun Renee around and giggled as the girl crashed into her lightly. "I'm such a doofusface!" She yelled over the music. And then she made them bump into Liz and Emma as well. "Oooh sorry!! Oh but look at the pretty!!!" Evey grinned widely.

"Did you drink lots of champagne, Dear" Liz asked, amused.

"Lots!" Evey said, raising her arms in triumph. "And I'm dancing with my cousin's girlfriend and I'm gonna steal her!"

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David dived off the table and into a stage roll, then bounded away up the stairs. Pierre imagined that had the venue been packed with a lot more people, David would be crowd-surfing right about now. Possibly with a beer in hand.

"He certainly is outgoing!" Charlotte observed with a laugh. That man had to be the strangest professor she'd ever seen. Why couldn't she have a dance teacher like that?!

"Oooh, stolen by Evey. I can think of no better theft!" Renee grinned brightly, and kissed Evey on the cheek. "I'll send you a postcard!" She called to Emma and Liz as Evey spun her round again.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter watched as David departed. "Is it fair enough that I'm worrying where your brother is headed right now?" He said worriedly.

"Oh I'm sure it is." Aly grinned. "He does tend to like getting into the oddest scrapes. Though lately they've mostly been with you." She said, touching his nose lightly.

"I am merely an innocent bystander!" Peter protested with his mouth open in mock surprise.

"Oh yes. Innocent bystanders my arse."

"I like your arse." Peter said, dipping Aly again.

Aly chuckled. "Ah, how polite you are."

"The politest as always!" Peter grinned cheekily and danced her over to Renee and Evey who were giggling up a storm.

"Yodaaaaa!" Evey yelled to Peter. "Look look, Renee's dancing with ME and she said I could steal her!"

"Did she now?" Peter said, raising his eyebrows and casting a look at Deirdre who was singing her heart out on stage and Kait who was letting her fingers fly over the keys. "I know two people who might take issue with that."

"I'll give her back!" Evey said happily.

"Outgoing is one word for it!" Ethan said back to Charlotte. "Outgoing and slightly manic. But he is a theatre professor."

"One time, I photocopied him my face." Kali nodded sagely. "I would have done my bum, but I was too small and I couldn't climb up there."

Ethan snorted. "Only from you is that story absolutely adorable." he said, giving her a kiss.

Johanna continued to watch Ethan and Kali and now another girl with a dark look on her face. Stupid English girls.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David gauged the distance between the railing and the chandelier. It looked fun, and the distance seemed about right. He backed up as far as she could, then ran for the banister, taking one high step up onto it and launching himself towards the chandelier. The chains held, thankfully, and he swung out over the reception. Utilising his abs to their fullest potential, he lifted his legs up to hook them onto the chandelier, and hung upside down from it. "Hee!"

"I'm a prize!" Renee told Peter and Aly happily. "A bounty! All covered in chocolate and filled with coconut!"

"Slightly manic?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow as she gazed up at the very strange theatre professor. "He does a very good Batman impersonation..."

Tasha looked over to Johanna again. She was still alone and looking unhappy, her gaze still directed at Ethan. Tasha squeezed Hope's hand and led her over to Johanna. "Hey," Tasha greeted her. "Is something wrong?"

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter's jaw dropped as he looked up at David. "Aly...your brother has lost the plot..." He said.

"David you get down from there, you maniac!" Aly yelled up at him. At least if he fell, he wouldn't be hurt. Though really he was being very stupid.

"He just wants to say he swung from the chandelier in Shakespeare's Theatre!"

"He's a whackjob!" Thomas yelled. "But a funny one!"

"I think he's a drunken whackjob. Who just might have cost me a chandelier had that broken. They're never going to let us in here again!" Peter yelped.

"Yes well...I've never seen his Batman impersonation before, so I wasn't aware of the extent of his craziness..." Ethan said, trailing off at the end.

Johanna looked up at the girls who had approached her. "Who wants to be knowing?" She said snidely.

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

David really wasn't sure how he was going to get down. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just wanted to be in the shiny. Now he was hanging upside down from a chandelier and the ground was a long way away. Still, the lighting fixtures for the stage weren't far from here, so maybe if he could swing across...

He lifted himself up so he was hanging by his hands again, and swung on the chandelier until he had the momentum to reach out and grab onto the metal latticework that held the lights. From there, as long as he didn't think about it too much, he could use them as monkey bars to reach a convenient pole and slide down onto the stage...

Pierre had been playing a funky little piece as David swung across, trying to give his escapade entertainment value so those who didn't know he was invulnerable wouldn't freak out so much. It was all part of the show. When David landed, Tamm was the first to pat him on the back before the man jumped off-stage, and Ethereal Facade launched into Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing.

A number of David's younger male relatives had awaited him at the bottom, with congratulations and bottles of beer for him.

Pierre shook his head and simply announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing David Montgomery, closet gymnast!"

Charlotte gave Ethan a knowing look. "Well, Batman always was walking the razor's edge between sanity and madness..."

Tasha raised her eyebrows at Johanna. "I'm Tasha Kemp. Peter looks after me. And this is my girlfriend Hope. I thought we might be able to help you..."

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter shook his head as a redfaced David approached himself and Aly. "That was...weird."

"That was mythic!" Thomas yelled. "Can I go next!?"

"If you do, I'm locking you in my boiler room!" Peter hissed.

"Aww man!" Thomas danced away with Anna still on his feet.

Aly just laughed and said, "You know Mama is going to bury her shoe in your spine now, David. You might not want to let her catch you!" She cautioned.

Ethan simply just nodded, one hand on his face. "Uh huh..."

Johanna rolled her eyes. Oh great, another one of Peter's minions. That was the last thing she needed. "Johanna Schuster. I am Anna's cousin. And what are you wanting to be helping me with?"

"It's almost cake time!" Emma said to Liz excitedly as the pair stopped dancing and they headed over towards the kitchen. Emma caught sight of Lavannah sitting at a table by herself. "Lavannah, Sweetie, do you want to help us?"

Lavannah smiled and nodded. "Okay!" She glanced up at Liz as her spirit Louise whispered into her ear that Liz was her daughter. Lavannah's smiled brightened. She'd met her at the hen's night but she hadn't spent time with her. She really should, considering Louise was her full time companion now.

[eligible-boy.livejournal.com]

"Oooh, I can be a weird myth!" David grinned excitedly. He made an exagerrated show of looking over both shoulders for his mother, but couldn't spot her for now. "I'd better keep moving. I'll probably be safe if I do that!" He scuttled away to find Christina. She'd protect him!

Over the whine of his guitar closing Stairway to Heaven, Pierre spoke into his microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are Ethereal Facade. This is our last song before the cake and continuing of festivities... I would like to thank you all for coming and making this wedding especially special! To take it out tonight, we give you... Bohemian Rhapsody!"

Charlotte took Ethan's hand in hers and lowered it from his face. "Don't look so glum! Batman always wins! Look, he's already gone back to mingling. Soon he'll tell us off for drinking all his alcohol and throw us out, you just wait. Or... is there a fountain for him to swim in?!" She looked around excitedly for said water decoration.

Tasha sighed inwardly. This was going to be an uphill battle, she could tell. "You just don't seem to be enjoying yourself, and I noticed you've been looking at Ethan. He's a very good friend of mine. But I don't know... is there something you would like me to help you with? I can leave you alone if you would rather."

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

"I think David would be a weird myth..." Peter said, taking Aly's hands and kissing her forehead.

"The Legend of the Professor gone very very wrong."

"Hey, I'd read it. As long as it wasn't in Aramaic!" Peter grinned a cheeky grin.

Deirdre sang along with Pierre until the song ended and Kat pushed play on the sound system so the recorded music took over. Kat rushed forward and gave Deirdre a tight hug before vaulting herself offstage and running up to Thomas. Anna had spotted her cousin before and she'd wandered in Johanna's direction, so Thomas was currently childless. Kat propelled herself into his arms and she kissed him madly, causing Thomas to stumble backwards, but only slightly.

Ethan looked at Charlotte and laughed. "Well that's true. I suppose I'm very lucky to have Batman as a mentor."

"I wonder if he'll let me wear his ears?!" Kali said, watching David with what she assumed were his cousins.

"CAKE!" Deirdre yelled for everyone to hear because she really was quite loud and wanted the cake, dammit.

Johanna stood and made her way towards the cake, raising her eyebrows at Tasha and Hope. "I think I can handle Ethan all on my own." She said slyly. Anna came up to her and she picked the girl up and carried her to the cake.

Peter and Aly stepped forward because they were supposed to cut it and feed it to each other. The cake was chocolate because Peter thought white cake was boring, just like white wedding dresses. Aly grinned and she took the knife with Peter and they made the first cut. Everyone clapped and then Jacinta took over, cutting them each a slice. "If you shove that in her face I'm going to kick you, Peter!" Deirdre cautioned.

"If I what!?" The thought hadn't even occured to Peter. He linked arms with Aly and they fed each other the cake. Peter turned to Deirdre. "See, no shoving!"

[whichdoctor.livejournal.com]

Pierre and Tamm climbed down from the stage and eagerly attacked the cake as soon as their guitars were safely packed away. Alessa followed more sedately, though she still smiled softly and gave a little wave to anyone she recognised.

David did his best to keep on the other side of the cake to his mother, even going so far as to make Christina fetch his slice for him. "Coward," she smirked as she handed him the cake.

"Did you see the shoe?" David exclaimed, his eyes wide. "No man is that brave!"

Christina just shook her head and enjoyed her cake.

Tasha looked over to Hope and gave her a look that communicated all her foreboding feelings regarding this Johanna's character. "If I were Ethan, I don't think I'd want to be handled be here," she declared as they made their way over to the cake near Liz and Emma.

Renee slipped her arms around Deirdre from behind and rested her head against the crimson hair cascading down her girlfriend's back. "You were sensational," she purred.

Charlotte grinned back at Ethan as they wandered slowly over to the cake. "Does that make you Robin, then? Do you wear the little green shorts?"

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Hope had to agree with Tasha. "I don't think I'd want to be handled by her even if I weren't Ethan, thank you very much. Only by My Tasha." She said, handing her girlfriend a piece of cake.

Peter and Aly made their way towards Hope and Tasha and Peter flashed a smile at both of them. He hadn't seem much of them in the frenzy of the night. "Hello!" He said, planting a kiss on his niece's forehead and then Tasha's. "This is my wife Aly! I know you know her considering you live with her, but I like that when I introduce her, I get to call her that!" Peter said, grinning cutely.

Deirdre grinned and turned to Renee. "Sensational and sweaty! Whoa...look, Kat doesn't need cake, she's got Thomas." She said, pointing to Kat who was still kissing Thomas as if her life depending on it. "They had sex before and Thomas was in an even better mood than normal. I think he may have put your birthday present to use." Deirdre said with a wink.

Ethan laughed. "Well I tried to keep it a secret, but you've found me out. I wear the shorts. And the tights." He said, grabbing cake for Charlotte and Kali and then one for himself. "It's a hard gig being so whiny and tightclad, but someone has to do it and I fit the bill."

[maximumnerdage.livejournal.com]

"Oh Peter, you are quite adorable," Tasha grinned, and gave him and Aly a big hug, careful not to get cake on them. "I love to hear you introduce your wife Aly. You can do it everyday if you like," she winked. She took a bite of her cake and turned to kiss Hope with chocolatey lips. "Look! We love each other too!"

"Oooh, fantastic!" Renee bounced on the spot and clapped her hands. "Kat is a very good place for my present to go! Well... until it ended up inside Thomas!" She clung to Deirdre despite the sweat, not bothered by it in the least. It wasn't as though she'd never made her girlfriend sweat before!

Charlotte looked Ethan up and down appraisingly with a little smirk. "Oh, it must be hard," she agreed. "Those pants look very tackle-tight. And when Batgirl enters the room with that tight, purple number... Mmmm." She flicked her hair over her shoulder and struck a Batgirl pose. "She has a sexy motorbike, too."

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

"And I couldn't be more pleased!" Peter said honestly, grinning as his niece beamed at Tasha.

Aly just laughed and then she swayed a little. "Ooh...maybe sitting down is a good idea."

Peter grabbed a chair quickly and he helped Aly into it. He knelt beside her and he kissed her cheek. "You feeling okay? Just a little tired?"

Aly nodded. "Just a little tired is all. I'm fine, Honey."

Caleb ran over to them, cake smeared on his face and suit. Aly chuckled at her son as he crawled into her lap. "I had cake, mummy!"

"I see that! Your suit did too!"

"Yeah, my suit likes cake! It says yum yum!" Caleb said happily, patting Peter's hair.

Deirdre turned to look at Renee. "You're gross!" She said, sticking out her tongue at Renee and then kissing her softly.

Ethan rised his eyebrows and then he turned to the table. "Look, cake!" He said, to created a distraction so he didn't have to think about Kali in a batgirl outfit in a public place. MmmmKalibatgirl...

Lavannah neared David, carrying a gargantuan piece of cake with her. "I saw you swinging from the chandelier, David. What does Mary have to say about that?!" She whispered so only he could hear.

[empress-tasha.livejournal.com]

"Darling?" Tasha asked Aly softly. "Would you like me to get you anything? A drink of water, something to eat?" She hated to see Aly become weakened so quickly, all because of someone else's malice. Seeing someone hurt like this always made her repentant of the way she had hurt people herself.

"Mmmm... how does it feel to kiss a gross girl?" Renee breathed against her Deirdre's lips.

Charlotte just laughed at Ethan's response and grabbed herself a small piece of cake. Even though she expended a lot of energy daily, she had to be at least a little bit careful about what she ate as a ballet dancer.

David gave Lavannah a conspiratorial smile. "She says that had I fallen on my arse, it would have been my own silly fault, and she wouldn't have let me pop my wings because most of the people here aren't allowed to see. She's definitely had happier moments with me, but I think she's secretly amused!" He loved the earnest way that Lavannah approached everything. It was adorable, and made him just want to cuddle her all the time.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter gave Tasha an adoring look as the girl took care of his wife. Aly nodded. "Maybe some water, Dear, thank you."

Peter looked up before Tasha walked away. "Yes, Tasha. Thank you." He said, rubbing Aly's arm.

Deirdre grinned. "It feels awesome! We should find a Kaitie and ask her how it feels too!" She said happily.

Lavannah shook her head but then she laughed and took a gigantic bite of her cake. She chewed it around and swallowed and then she said, "I love cake!" As if it was the most amazing discovery on the planet.

Some of the rather large crowd of guests were moving back out onto the dance floor, having finished their cake. Liz, however, moved to a chair and she pulled Emma into her lap. The younger woman laughed and she wrapped her arms around Liz, kissing her temple. Lydia and Dylan walked by them on their way back out to dance again, and Emma waved at them. "Have fun you two!" She called.

"That is indeed my quest! To show milady the time of her life by tripping the proverbial light fantastic!" He called over his shoulder, leading his girl away.

"I think I love that kid." Emma said seriously to Liz.

"You're not the only one." Liz said with a laugh.

They were joined a moment later by Dylan and Deirdre's mother, Caitlin. The woman brushed her red hair out of her face and she grinned at Emma and Liz. "Darlings, the ceremony was so beautiful! And as sad as I am that Peter is hitched" she winked "It's so good to see him happy, yes?"

Deirdre halted the Kaitie hunt as she noticed her mother speaking to Emma and Liz. "Oh dear...rescue mission, Renee?"

[seminalsemiotic.livejournal.com]

Tasha disappeared hastily to find some water with Aly, returning a moment later with a glass of chilled liquid. "Here you go, sweetheart," she said, placing the glass in Aly's hand. She gave Peter a smile and hovered about in case there was anything more she could do.

Renee looked over to where Deirdre was pointing and grinned. "Oooh, Caitlin!" She bounced over with Deirdre's hand held in hers before wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's mother. "Hello!" she chirped happily.

David smiled fondly at Lavannah and stroked her dark, luscious hair. "Cake is indeed wonderful. I'm glad you're enjoying it. It's Mama and Deirdre's creation!"

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Aly drank the water and she had to admit it did make her feel better. "Mm, thank you, Tasha that's just what I needed. You're wonderful, Dear."

Caleb grinned. "Yes, wonderful! I want to dance!"

"I'll dance with you, Squirt!" Hope said excitedly and she helped Caleb off Aly's lap and led him towards the dance floor.

Peter reached up and he smoothed Aly's hair back. "Just tell me if you need to go, allright, Honey?" It had been a big day...And Aly had spent more time out of bed today than she had since the 'incident'.

Aly shook her head firmly. "I'll be fine." And she flashed him a brave smile. "You could just carry me everywhere."

Peter grinned. "You know I will."

Caitlin looked up as Renee approached, with Deirdre following reluctantly behind. "More Darlings!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around Renee and Deirdre at the same time. "You're so gorgeous, Renee! Oh look at you!" She said as she pulled away. "You just look radiant. And My DD. You sing like an angel."

"Or not much like an angel at all really." Deirdre said, looking at the lights on the ceiling.

Lavannah looked shocked. "They made this! They are magic." She said with a wink. She finished off the cake and then she smiled. "Will you dance with me? I don't know how to dance. Christina can dance too!"

[seminalsemiotic.livejournal.com]

"It sounds like you have everything well planned," Tasha grinned, and leaned down to kiss Aly's forehead. "If I can do anything more, just let me know, okay?" She turned an earnest gaze to Peter and touched his face lightly. "Whatever you need."

Renee smiled and felt a little colour rise to her cheeks at Caitlin's compliment. "Thank you, darling," she smiled, placing her hand gently on the other woman's shoulder. "You look phenomenal yourself!" She reached out to take Deirdre's hand in hers. "I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many beautiful women!" She gave Liz and Emma a wink to include them in her declaration.

"Lavannah Adams, I would love to dance with you," David grinned, and took her hand to lead her to the dancefloor. "Just follow me and you'll be fine. It's not hard, I promise." He led her slowly and gently at first to help her get into the swing of it. Christina caught sight of them quickly and made her way over, hanging back just slightly until Lavannah got comfortable.

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Peter stood and he hugged Tasha tightly. "You're a treasure, Tasha." He said when he pulled away.

"I agree with this statement!" Aly said, raising her glass of water and finishing it off.

"Indeed, indeed!" Caitlin said, smiling widely at all of them. "If you'll excuse me, that man is gazing in my direction and I must see what he wants." Caitlin headed off towards one of David and Aly's many cousins.

"Oh god, Renee!" Deirdre said, putting her face in her hands in amused annoyance. "She's like...Hello Dolly and Miss Kitty all rolled in to one." Emma snickered and hid her face in Liz's shoulder because that was a perfect description of the force of nature that was Caitlin.

Lavannah did just that. She followed David's lead, her smile getting bigger and bigger. "Look, Christina, I'm dancing!" She squealed.

Kat and Thomas and finished their kiss fest and they were leaning against the wall having a quiet conversation. Thomas smoothed her hair back and he smiled at her softly. "I loved seeing you drum and sing. You're very talented."

"I loved drumming and singing to you! You're amazingly sexy." She flashed him a smile.

"Oh! Thank you!" Thomas chuckled. "You're darn sexy yourself. You want cake, Love?"

Kat shook her head. "The babies aren't in to sweet things today. It sounds like a way bad idea. But I'll watch you eat cake if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth."

Thomas did want cake, but not if Kat wasn't going to be joining him. "I'll have left overs tomorrow. I want to dance with you again."

"Well, sir, that I can handle!" She offered him her hand and let him lead her to the dance floor once again, sliding her arms around his neck as far as she could reach once they had.

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"I'm glad to be so," Tasha smiled warmly. "I'll leave you lovebirds to yourselves, Mr. and Mrs. Kemp, but I meant what I said. If you need anything, I'm here." She gave Aly's hand one last squeeze and slipped into the crowd, though she didn't stray too far from Peter and Aly.

Renee grinned up at Deirdre. "Oh, we all love her." She gave her girlfriend a little squeeze. "Did you want to find Kaitie now?"

David spun Lavannah around before gracefully sliding her hand into Christina's. He took a few steps back and watched his beautiful girlfriend and beautiful pseudo-daughter dance. Christina gave Lavannah a loving smile as they danced. "I'm glad you're having fun, sweetheart."

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Deirdre nodded and she took Renee's hand again. "Yes! In search of our Kaitie!"

Lavannah smiled warmly at Christina. "I've never had this much fun ever you are the nicest people I've ever met!" And she meant every word of it.

Peter knelt by his wife again and he looked around the room. Renee and Kait were hand in hand. Thomas and Kat were dancing, and so were Lydia and Dylan. Anna was chatting to her cousin, and while he wasn't fond of Johanna, Anna was and that was what was important. Caleb and Hope were doing some sort of weird dance routine which was making Evanna, Kali and Ethan skriek with laughter. Everyone was having a good time. The room was full of hundreds of people who were expressing love in one way or another. He couldn't have imagined a more incredible day if he'd tried. He looked back up at his wife and he smiled softly to her. He took her hand and kissed it three times. "I love you, Alyona Kemp. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Love."

Aly chuckled. "I love you too, Peter Kemp." And she leaned down to kiss him.

It was the best birthday ever.