"I knew this would happen. I'm always right."
Commander Susan Ivanova sighed as she looked over the guest lists again. "So you want the Drazi to sit on the bride's side and the Rangers..."
Marcus Cole looked on the clipboard he held. "I was told we would be sitting on the groom's side. The Captain's request."
"But where am I going to find another set of chairs in the next fifteen minutes?" As if in response, Ivanova's commlink beeped. Ivanova groaned, threw the papers on the table, slapped the side of her wrist, and said "Ivanova here."
Garibaldi's voice came from the link. "Ivanova, Delenn's been asking for you, we can't find Kosh, and Londo's hitting the free bar already. Have you figured out the seating arrangements yet?"
Ivanova frowned deeply. "Garibaldi, I've got thirty different groups telling me they want to sit in thirty different places. What do you think? Ivanova out." She turned off her commlink, then passed the guest lists to Marcus. "If you want to sit somewhere in particular, you figure out the rest! I have to go."
"Susan, I —" Marcus saw that she had already left. He sighed and looked down. "Right. Well then..." He settled down to his work.
Ivanova rang the doorbell again. After some time, she finally heard Delenn say "Enter!", and walked in.
Delenn stood in the center of the room, surrounded by clothing. "Ah, Commander Ivanova," she said, somewhat desperately. "Would you be willing to help me?"
Ivanova frowned slightly. "With what?" she asked.
Delenn gestured around her. "With this!" She sighed. "I do not understand these human wedding traditions. Where am I supposed to find something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?"
Ivanova smiled lightly. "Well, generally, the bride's parents take care of these details. But, in your case..." Ivanova looked around the room, thinking. She walked around, picking things up. She eventually stood back in front of Delenn. "You have fifteen minutes before you have to be walking down that aisle and you're not even dressed. Come on, hurry up."
After ten minutes, Delenn stood before her, looking like the stereotypical glowing dressed in white bride. She twirled, watching herself in the mirror. "How do I look?" she said.
Ivanova grinned. "Beautiful."
Delenn smiled like a shy little schoolgirl. "I have a pendant Draal gave me when I was a student, that's old, my wedding dress is new, the flowers in my hair are blue, and I've borrowed..." She frowned slightly.
Ivanova unclipped the earring from her ear. "Here," she said. "For good luck."
Delenn smiled again, and let Ivanova clip it to her ear. "Thank you, Susan," she said.
Ivanova shrugged. "Don't mention it." She frowned slightly. "Now, wasn't Draal supposed to meet us here?"
"And so I have." The room filled with yellow light, then Draal appeared. He looked Delenn up and down and smiled proudly. "You look lovely today, Delenn."
Delenn smiled again. "Thank you, Draal," she said.
Ivanova turned towards both of them. "Now, you know what to do, right?"
"Walk Delenn down the aisle when the music begins," Draal said. "Yes, Commander, I know."
Ivanova smiled, nodded, and said, "Well, shall we then?" She walked out of Delenn's room, before the bride and her "father".
Garibaldi sat near the bar, keeping an eye on Londo. He shook his head at the amount of glasses around Londo's head. Dr. Franklin walked up and stood near Garibaldi. "Hey, Michael, what's up?"
Garibaldi pointed at Londo's snoring body. "Not him."
Franklin whistled appreciatively. "Amazing. Out before the wedding even begins."
Garibaldi nodded. "You should have been here before he passed out. You see that big white splotch on the wall?"
Franklin nodded. "Yeah, what was it?"
"The cake. Londo talked Lennier into a having a sip of his drink."
"And?"
Garibaldi shrugged. "You know Minbari metabolism better than I do. All I know is that Lennier went beserk, started screaming at the top of his lungs, and went for the cake. Took five of my men to hold him down. He's in a holding cell now, sleeping it off." He sighed. "I thought I was bad enough on a bender..."
Franklin whistled appreciatively again. "I suppose this means the bride & groom will not be drinking the traditional champange after the ceremony?"
Garibaldi nodded. "You better believe it."
Sheridan paced the room. "Maybe I'm just doing the wrong thing, Jack."
Capt. Jack Maynard smiled. "Well, if you cop out now, all you'll have on your hands is a major diplomatic incident. Might even restart the Earth-Minbari War."
Sheridan glared at him. "Thanks, Jack."
Maynard smiled wider. "That's what the best man's for. C'mon, it's time."
Sheridan frowned. "Has Kosh shown up yet?"
Maynard shook his head. "Nope. Should we be worried?"
Sheridan nodded. "Yeah. He's officiating." They walked out into the garden.
"But I'll be sitting right next to the Centauri! Surely you know the humiliation involved!"
Marcus Cole looked back down at the list. "I'm sorry, Citizen G'Kar, but there are no other available seats on the groom's side. And the bride's side is filled as well."
"But it's next to Mollari! My sworn enemy! How dare you insult me like this?"
Cole threw down the papers and glared. "Look, the wedding is starting in two minutes. You sit where I tell you and don't complain to me!"
G'Kar straightened up, glared at Cole, then left.
Cole exhaled his breath, straightened his clothing and walked into the Zen Garden. The guests were all sitting. Marcus took his seat and waited.
Sheridan walked out, and took his place. Jack Maynard joined him.
The music started. Delenn glided out, a vision in white. Sheridan gaped at his fiancee. She eventually made her way to the front. They looked forward, only to notice that Kosh wasn't there.
Suddenly, as if a cool breeze entered the room, he appeared. "Yes it's sad to say you might romanticize all the things you've known before," Kosh said, his usual enigmatic self.
Delenn smiled and stepped closer to Kosh. Sheridan followed.
Kosh turned towards Delenn. "Life is just a mood ring that we're not allowed to see."
Delenn nodded. "Yes," she said. "Yes."
Kosh then turned to Sheridan. "When you're following an angel does it mean you have to throw your body off a building?"
Sheridan broke into a grin and nodded. "Yes. I do."
Kosh retreated back. Lyta Alexander appeared from behind him. "If any person has any objections to this marriage," she said, "Let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
"Delenn wait!" Jeffrey Sinclair stood up from the audience. "Remember the ceremony? We're married, Delenn!"
The wedding party broke into chaos. Suddenly, a strange beam of light appeared in the middle of the aisle. A man was formed from that beam. He was tall, bearded, and wearing a skimpy red bathing suit. He looked around in shock. "What the hell?" he said. "This isn't Risa!" He tapped a badge that was provocatively placed on the swimsuit, giving the audience a sight they did not want to see. "Geordi, get me out of here!" The man disappeared as quickly as he arrived, in the same beam of light.
The wedding party sat there in shock for a second, trying to figure out what had happened. Sheridan gaped at Delenn. "Delenn," he said, "How can you be wearing white?"
Delenn looked at Sinclair, then at Sheridan. "Jeff," she said. "The ceremony...was before my transformation. Anything I did before was..."
Kosh returned to the podium. "A rich man once told me 'Hey life's a funny thing'."
Sinclair nodded, looked at Delenn somewhat longingly, and sat back down. Delenn turned back to Kosh.
Lyta nodded, and said, "By the powers invested in us, we now pronounce you man and wife."
Kosh said, "Deputy dog dog a ding dang depadepa."
Sheridan and Delenn kissed. The audience broke into applause.
The reception in the Zocalo was packed. Everyone was milling around the newly married couple, giving their congratulations.
Garibaldi stood near Sheridan. "Well, everything turned out pretty good."
Ivanova, who was also standing near the groom, nodded. "Except for Londo getting unconscious before the wedding and Lennier attacking the cake, everything went fine." She smiled. "Congratulations, Captain."
Garibaldi nodded. "Yeah, Congrats. You got a great wife."
Sheridan smiled sheepishly. "Well, there can be only one."
Suddenly, an ISN camera appeared before them. Delenn wrapped her arm around her new husband and smiled for the camera. "Captain Sheridan," the reporter said. "How does it feel to be married?"
Sheridan smiled. "It reminds me of a story I heard when I was a boy...."
This Babylon 5 story was written by Kate Bolin. If you liked it, there's plenty more at http://www.dymphna.net/fanfic/. And you can feedback her at dymphna@dymphna.net.