Making it Legal

By Toni and Donna

June was always a popular time for weddings, and it was no different in the Scotch/Irish town of Glenerin. First, one of the newest arrivals, a pig farmer affectionately known as Pig Finn arrived along with a beautiful young woman named Maggie Tooley and her son Maurice. Since he promised not to have too many pigs, Maggie agreed to marry him right away!

The spirit of marriage was definitely in the air after that. The next one to hopefully fall victim to its charms was a particular tall, Irish priest who was, at the moment, deep in thought as he stood with his fishing rod cast into a nearby lake. Ever since Niamh had agreed to marry him, the question his inner self kept asking him, and the one he had no answer for (yet), was, "When?" He didn't want to rush her by demanding the wedding before she was ready for it, but he loved and desired her so much...as the part about desiring her caused a certain reaction in his body, he cleared his throat and sternly told said body part to calm down - it'd get to where it wanted to be soon enough!

In the meantime, they were having lively *discussions* as to where the ceremony would be held. He of course, wanted it in the church, either his own in Glenerin, the chapel at Camelot, or at the Mission in the town of Edan. Niamh was being difficult as always. She couldn't see why they couldn't just jump over a broom in a faerie meadow somewhere! After all, that was the way leprechauns had been getting married since the beginning of their existence! While they were still arguing over that, Duncan MacLeod showed up one day, asking to be married to his lover, Fontanna, who was rumored to be carrying his child.

Sean was glad for this bit of diversion from his own troubles, and passed a nice afternoon chatting with Duncan - the two men were soon deep in discussion of marriage customs. "She wants to leap over a broom in a meadow, while I of course would like the blessing of the sacrament on our union. There must be a way for both of us to be happy! Are you and Fontanna having this much difficulty, or are you, at least, of one mind on the type of ceremony you wish to have?"

Duncan shrugged and grinned. "She is pure fae, that is for sure. And if it wanna for her sister Skye tellin' her that it was all right to be Kirked, I dinna ken she wa' go for it." He then confided that she was indeed with child, and that he wanted the bairn to bear his name.

The priest's eyes lit up, and a smile of genuine happiness creased his face. "Duncan, lad, that's the best thing I've heard all day! Congratulations! And may your child have health and happiness for all of his or her days. I am ready to perform the ceremony whenever the two of you might wish."

A few days later, the ceremony was held and no one had anything to say against the fact that the bride's tummy was already starting to round out nicely. After the ceremony, as the villagers gathered to celebrate, Niamh wiggled into Sean's embrace. "Ye win," she whispered. “We can get married here in the church if ye like."

Her fiance nearly fell off the bench they were both sitting on, as he looked at her, stunned. "Niamh....are you sure? I want both of us to be happy." He really did; her happiness was more important than any ceremony in the world, when he came right down to it. It was just that it was so important to have the Lord's blessing on this.

"I'm sure," she said solemnly. "I can see now how important it is to ye now. Will ye be sendin' fer one of the other Fathers?"

"I think I'd like that. After all, if it wasn't for them, I'd never have learned the way things are around here so quickly, or been able to give you the opportunity to spy upon my bath!" While he'd been annoyed to the edge of anger when she'd admitted to him what she'd done, the admission, over time, had mellowed into an intimate joke between the two, and he winked at her, then grinned.

So, that evening, he penned a letter to be sent back via the post to Edan, asking for someone to come officiate at his wedding during the last week of June.

To his surprise, both Father Alec and Father Ralph showed up, escorting Faith and Hope! He hugged both men, and bowed over the ladies' hands, smiling "Welcome to all of you! I'm very glad to see you young ladies made sure my colleagues arrived here safely, without getting lost!"

Faith blushed and Hope giggled. "I was going to come with Ralph,” Hope said rather smugly. “But my sister said it wasn't proper for me to go alone with a man, even if he wa' a priest. So she and Father Alec both decided to gang with us to attend yer weddin'."

"I'm very honored, and I know Niamh will be as well. The question is...which of you has decided to perform the ceremony? Or are you both going to do it?" He hadn't known anyone's ceremony officiated over by two priests at the same time, but in this strange place, he knew anything was possible! He looked at each man in turn, his eyes questioning them as well as his words.

"I thought you would like a fellow Irishman to take your vows," Alec said with a smile. "Have you decided who will be standing up for you both?"

Sean blushed just a little, as he smiled "Well, actually, I was going to ask you, Alec, if you wanted to stand with me, but I have no idea who Niamh has chosen for herself!" He hoped Ralph wouldn't feel slighted at his choice. Because while Alec had been his choice for Best Man, so to speak, Ralph had been the one he'd wanted to perform the ceremony.

Niamh popped up out of nowhere, a curious look on her face. "What do that mean? Havin' someone stand up fer ye? Can I not stand up fer meself?"

Patiently, Alec explained to the leprechaun what the term meant, and her eyes shone, as she looked up at him. However would she choose someone for this particular honor? She thought about Herself, the Queen of the Leprechauns, but since she was getting closer to having her baby, she wasn't traveling very far. And how could she single out any of her Leprechaun sisters? Frowning, she folded her arms across her chest. Nickel? Derry? Marea? Didn’t she love them all equally? She couldn't decide! Then she knew. "Faith?" she asked with a smile. "Will ye stand up for me?"

The young seamstress blushed but said she would be honored to do so. And thus the very important matter of Sean and Niamh's witnesses was settled.

There was a lot of other last minute fuss and bother of course. Niamh was all for wearing her best dancing outfit, but Sean told her as pretty as it was, it was way too short for her to get married in! Faith solved the problem by presenting the tiny leprechaun lass with a brand new dress. Celtic patterns were stitched into the fabric, and it looked as if it had been created for a princess! Niamh, in all her years of living, had never owned anything so grand, and she didn't hesitate to tell the young woman responsible.

"It's no bother," Faith said softly. "I like sewing wedding gowns anyway!"

While the other two women were chatting, Hope couldn't help feeling just a little jealous of what was happening, and Ralph's sharp eye caught it. It got the priest to thinking, and in a while, he had something to discuss with his own young lady.

"Hope, jealousy does not suit you," he said gently. "Is it just the dress or the attention our little bride to be is getting, or is it because you would rather be the one standing up to be married?" With those words, Hope blushed crimson and admitted to the latter.

He was relieved that that was the problem, of the choices given, and went to one knee before her. "In that case, Hope MacDonald...would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked softly, looking up at her.

Hope's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. On the other side of the room, Faith covered her mouth with her hand, not daring to say anything until her sister answered the question. Beside her, Father Alec watched with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression on his face. This was not unexpected. Ralph had kept him abreast of his feelings for the girl. The timing just seemed a little strange.

Hope wasn't even aware of her sister watching her avidly; her whole world was centered on the man still kneeling before her. She managed to break out of her astonishment enough to swallow hard, and give her groom-to-be a small but definite nod. This prompted the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him, and he rose and, not wanting to scare her, took her hand and gently kissed it. His eyes radiated so much happiness he was sure everyone could see it, but he didn't care.

He had been very careful in his relationship with Hope, not wanting to make the same mistakes he had made back in Australia. To that end, he had held his every action accountable to his friend and confessor, Father Alec. Now, after giving Hope some time to grow up and mature, he could finally have what he wanted!

When Sean learned of the newly engaged status of Ralph and Hope, he gave his blessing to the two of them, gladly. But right now, it was time to prepare for his own wedding! The morning of the ceremony, his hands shook just a little, as he looked into the mirror, making sure (for the thousandth time) that he looked good enough to wed Niamh. Behind him, visible in the mirror as well, Alec chuckled.

To his surprise and delight, the whole village turned out, including the rather wild Ponitipee brothers, who all looked freshly scrubbed. The little church was packed! After all, it wasn't everyday their parish priest got married to the woman they'd sworn was a figment of his imagination since the day he had arrived in Glenerin. Now, as Sean stood at the head of the aisle, with Alec beside him, he watched, as enraptured as everyone else, as that figment walked down the aisle on the arm of Seamus Muldoon. Somehow Niamh had managed to convince the Leprechaun king to give her away, even though he was obviously not comfortable at being inside a church. As soon as he did what he was supposed to, the little man disappeared in a shower of brightly colored sparks.

But the couple barely paid him notice, as they stood facing each other before a smiling Ralph. Niamh followed Sean's lead during the ceremony, repeating what she was told to by the other priest, and before she knew it, she and Sean were husband and wife. As her tall husband held her close and kissed her, there were a few gasps of surprise when they both rose into the air, and romantic sighs from her sister leprechauns that were in attendance.

As the newlyweds filed out of the church, Hope looked longingly at Ralph. He looked so wonderful in his full clerical robes. She shouldn't be thinking of him that way, but she couldn't help it. After all, hadn't she just agreed to marry him?

But that was a thought for another day. For today belonged to Sean and Niamh, and Hope would be the last one to steal it from them! Concealing her longing beneath a smile, she and Ralph went out to join the reception, already in full swing.