Anubis' Family

Most wedding dresses are white. Not Lona's. She said that only virgins were meant to wear a white gown, and everyone knew she was no virgin. So her wedding dress was red.

Everyone agreed she looked stunning, walking down the aisle in scarlet, holding a bouquet of white roses. The bridal party were all in shades of red or pink, while Elmer wore a crimson suit.

At the reception, the gang split into gender groups - that is, the women all went off to discuss every minute detail of the ceremony, while the men went to get pissed. A fairly standard happening for weddings.

Despite being so much younger than the other ladies, Zoe was included in their discussion. She always was - she'd been considered one of 'the girls' as soon as she was old enough to understand what it was they talked about.

Currently they were admiring Lona's dress. Lona was happy - it had allowed her to dance without suffocating, in spite of the tight bodice. The talk soon turned to the other ladies wedding dresses. Nat revealed that she'd had the classic white puffy thing that made her look like a mirangue. The others all laughed, assuring her that they knew she'd been beautiful. Chris had worn a cream-coloured gown... since she was two months pregnant with Zoe, she couldn't really wear white.

"So Zoe," Nat asked, eyes twinkling, "what colour will you wear for your wedding? Will it be white?"

Zoe blushed. She and Anubis had fooled around a little, but hadn't gotten that far. Anubis had said that at seventeen she was too young for them to... she blushed even more. He was probably right. She looked over to where Anubis was standing at the bar with the other men.

"Have you talked about it at all?" Chris asked her daughter, trying to sound calm. Zoe shrugged.

"Not really," Zoe replied. "I don't think he gets how important weddings are to humans." She was a little saddened, but consoled herself with the knowledge that even if they weren't married, he still wasn't going anywhere.

"What's his last name, anyway?" Lona asked, voicing something she'd occaisionally wondered.

Zoe opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, realising she had no idea. "I... I don't know. I don't think he has one."

Talk turned to what Anubis' surname should be, while Zoe looked over at her boyfriend again. It looked as if he was getting a similar grilling, so she decided to rescue him. She excused herself from the others, and crossed the dance floor.

***

"I'm sure you've thought about it," Elmer poked Anubis, trying to get him to open up a little.

The black-clad Guardian looked confused. "It's just a piece of paper and some rings. What's so special about a wedding?"

The other men shared a knowing look. James was the one to voice what they were all thinking. "To men, it's a way to stop the nagging, and ensure that the woman's going to stick around. To women, it means that they have a claim on the man - he's hers, and no one can touch him."

Anubis looked vaguely frightened. "Are all women like that?"

Peter shook his head. "There are exceptions, but in most cases that's pretty accurate. Of course it also has to do with a public declaration of love, which women seem to be fond of."

Anubis looked puzzled. "So... I could just shout out that I love Zoe and will never leave her, and that would accomplish the same thing?"

"Nope," James smiled. "It has to be done properly. With rings and ceremony and everything."

Again Anubis looked scared. "And Zoe's expecting all this? Already?"

Peter looked over Anubis' shoulder. "Ask her yourself. She's headed this way."

Anubis jumped a little when he felt Zoe's hand on his arm, despite the warning he'd been given.

"Come dance with me?" Zoe asked, smiling at him. He nodded and took her hand, letting her lead him onto the dance floor.

Anubis could see over the top of Zoe's head, over to the rest of the men. They were all pointing at their wedding rings, hinting not so subtly that he should hurry up and ask her.

As they turned, Zoe caught sight of the other ladies, who were pointing at their dresses, telling her to start thinking about it.

Anubis growled at the men, then looked down at Zoe. "Wanna walk instead?" He asked with a wry smile. Zoe nodded, and they walked away from both parties. They talked about anything insignificant as they made their way outside.

When they were alone, Anubis wrapped his arms around Zoe, then leaned down so that he could whisper in her ear.

"How'd you like to become Mrs D'Eath?"