Aug. 23, 2016, 7 p.m.
The Land of Stories: A Very Gleeful Threequel: The Wedding Reception
T - Words: 1,130 - Last Updated: Aug 23, 2016 Story: Complete - Chapters: 19/? - Created: Aug 15, 2015 - Updated: Aug 15, 2015 223 0 0 0 0
You're getting a special Tuesday update this week, since I'll be traveling tomorrow. I'm assuming I'll be able to post on Saturday, as usual, even though I'll be out of town, but if I run into trouble with the wi-fi access, don't worry. I'll be back next week.
P.S. Remember, this story takes place during the summer of 2012, when marriage equality existed in only 6 US states, and both California and Ohio were among the 44 states in which gay men and lesbians were not legally allowed to wed at that time.
Chris turned his gaze on Darren, who'd been observing the ceremony via the little magic mirror in his hand. “Are you crying?”
“I always tear up at weddings. And that was just so beautiful. Plus it's Kurt and Blaine…”
“I know. I never thought we'd see the day when they got married. You've gotta tell Ryan about this. Maybe he can find a way to work it into Glee when — ”
Chris stopped himself in mid-sentence. If he couldn't find a way to return to his own world, there would be no more Kurt on Glee. In fact, at this very moment, Ryan was probably trying to figure out a way to rework season 4 to write him out of the show.
Darren seemed to read his mind. “When you come back here — not if, when — we'll have to convince Ryan let Kurt and Blaine get married.”
“Maybe he could flash-forward ten years, or something. Remember how Kurt said, at the beginning of last season, that he wanted to be married by thirty?”
“Yeah — married by thirty — legally. And remember how Blaine said he was looking forward to marriage equality in all 50 states? Wouldn't that be an amazing thing to show?”
“I'll bet Ryan would do it. I mean, we basically have proof now that they're meant to be together.”
“And those vows were too good not to be shown in prime time.”
…
Kurt and Blaine's wedding reception was held in the I'll Show You Mine. Chris wasn't sure how the completely innocent Dwarf Mine he'd written about in The Wishing Spell had morphed into a nudist colony, but he'd learned on his previous visit to just go with the flow, so he stripped off his clothes and left them by the entrance without complaint.
“Man,” Darren breathed, “what I wouldn't give for a full length mirror right now. You're not even wearing bubbles, are you?”
Chris gave him a flirty wink. “Nope,” he answered, popping his lips on the final consonant.
“Oh, this is so unfair! Why does the I'll Show You Mine have to be so dark? I can barely see you in the torchlight.”
“Well, the folks here may not have discovered electricity yet, but they're light-years ahead of our world in terms of marriage equality.”
“Good point. Maybe we shouldn't be worrying about how to get you back here — maybe we should focus on trying to work out a way for me to get back there.”
Chris's response was cut off by the sound of a silver spoon dinging against a crystal goblet. Mother Goose stood tapping her glass until she had the attention of everyone present.
“Unique has graciously offered to accompany Kurt and Blaine with her strings as they sing a duet for their first dance as a married couple.”
Chris drew in an involuntary breath as the magic harp played the opening notes of a familiar song.
Blaine held his hands out to his husband as he began to sing:
Never knew I could feel like this
Like Ive never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time
Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Kurt moved into Blaine's arms, and they began dancing and singing as one.
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesnt seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And theres no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song and Ill be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather
And stars may collide
But I love you (I love you)
Until the end of time (until the end of time)
Come what may
Come what may
I will love you
I will love you
When the song ended, this time it was Darren who asked, “Chris, are you crying?”
“No. Shut up. It's just the smoke from all of these torches, making my eyes water.”
“Hey, I'm not judging you. That was such a moving song. And didn't you say in an interview, like a year ago, that you wanted Kurt and Blaine to sing ‘Come What May' together?”
“Yes! And I said that I'd be Nicole Kidman, of course.”
“Of course. Kurt killed that part.”
“Blaine sounded pretty damn good, too.”
“And the fact that they're both naked added a little je ne sais quoi to the performance…”
“You're incorrigible.”
“Not true. If you were here right now, I'd let you ‘corrige' me all you want.”
“I don't even know what that means, but you make it sound so suggestive.”
Darren chuckled. “Oh, I can think of lots of things I'll suggest once we're back together…”
…
The rest of the wedding reception was a bit of a blur for Chris. Stoner Brett had apparently added a little something to the torches, and soon the I'll Show You Mine was filled with a heady, pungent smoke. Chris felt as though he was wading in slow motion through a thick fog.
After dancing with both of the grooms — something he had never thought he'd end up doing au naturel — Chris found himself overcome by a severe case of the munchies. He made his way over to a corner of the room where guests were gathered around a huge spit on which a massive beast of some sort was roasting over an open fire. Platters of meat and vegetables sat on a nearby table, along with a dizzying assortment of desserts.
Chris piled his plate high, and then headed to another table on which stood rows of goblets filled with champagne. He wasn't too surprised to find Mother Goose presiding over the drinks. Now that the ceremony was over, she seemed to be reverting to her usual inebriated state.
“Chris, Chris, I'm so glad that you're here,” she slurred, grabbing him by the wrist. “I think I know how to help you, my dear.”
“Help me?” Chris repeated, feeling somewhat muddle-headed.
“Yes — help you find your way back home. All we need is the right tome.”
At the sound of the word “home” Chris's fuzzy brain tried to snap back into focus. “That's great! What do we do?”
“You remember my friend, Holly?” Mother Goose asked, gesturing to the Elf Empress, Holly Holiday. It was a testament to how badly Chris wanted to return to his own world that he was completely unfazed by the fact that he was seeing Kristin Chenoweth and Gwyneth Paltrow naked. “Well, she's got a potion that's rather jolly. Here it is, just take a look. It will let you travel into any book!”
The Elf Empress held up a blue bottle. “One drop of this will allow you to enter the setting of any story. And Loosey Goosey, here,” (with a wink and a nudge at April) “assures me that she has a collection of books from your world. So you should be able to use this potion to return home.”