Posted by Lieutenant Alexandra Garfield (Xenobiologist) in Two Weddings and a Honeymoon

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“Oh… so… you and Noah… are getting married?” Chris questioned as he raised his eyebrow as he looked at her. This all seemed to fit, I mean why wouldn’t she want him here for this? They were best friends, even if Chris didn’t do everything he knew he should at times for her. His entire life Lexi had always picked Noah over him, even the one time he thought it was all over between them he slid in. Deep down he knew this was for the best, if he could just see her go off with someone else he could finally forget her.

Those are the lies we all tell though, the lies to try and get us through the pain and heartache. No one every forgot their soul mate, and the ache never went away. You could though trick yourself, blind yourself to the feelings with booze, women, and work. I can live with this… I can live with this… I can live with this… cause I have to. were the words that spun in Chris’s head as he closed his eyes for a brief second as before opening them to look directly into Lexi with a large smile. All Chris had ever wanted was Lexi to notice him, to know who he was. He had a chance and it failed, he couldn’t win her heart completely. The truth was, even if bitter, that having one night with her was better than a million nights with anyone else. For one brief night, he knew what love was, and he saw that he had a life that revolved around more than his broken heart and beaten spirit.

Christopher Robins

“No,” Lexi looked at Chris oddly until she thought about what she had said to Chris moments before. “Oh yes. I mean no. I mean,” she paused and took a deep breath. “Yes, Noah is back at the hotel…for the wedding…to Toby Schmidt.” Opening her purse, Lexi withdrew the invitation and slowly slid it towards him on the table. “I asked you to come to Earth to…meet Toby.” Lexi’s words were choppy. None of what she said so far was an outright lie yet.

“Wait… Toby?” asked in bemusement as he looked at Lexi. Who the hell is Toby? Who names there kid Toby… dumb ass name, bet he took ballet and played on the fencing team Chris thought as he instantly hated this Toby. Smug face I am sure, always wears a pink polo shirt with shorts and tells everyone his dad invented the Spacebook or Twatter… what a douche. Chris continued as his eyes got very wide as he tried to smile as wide as he could. Every tendency was to scream, or have an outburst but right now all he could do was stay silent.

“Toby Schmidt is the man I am going to marry,” Lexi hoped her statement sounded like a fact and not an inspirational mantra. “I met him a few weeks after Ruth was born. Noah had come to the hotel in Brisbane that morning to tell me he was asking Kylie to marry him.” Wait wait that time line isn’t going to fly. He knocked you up and then announced he was marrying a friend of yours? Think Lexi think, the voice in her head berated her. In an attempt to buy time, Lexi tilted her face down and scratched her forehead like she was contemplating a deep thought. She was. She was trying to create a lie to hide a lie.

“Whaa… huh?” was all that came out of Chris mouth as he stared at Lexi. She slept with Noah after he told her he was marrying Kylie? When did he and Kylie hook up? When did they get married? Chris couldn’t deny outside of his family, Lexi, and Ian he didn’t seem to keep up with all friends and acquaintance quite like he used to. Right now felt like a crash course and he wasn’t sure if he liked the curriculum he was learning.

Yawning Ruth reached out grabbing the first adult she could get her fingers on. Twisting the fabric of the crisp, white linen shirt in her chubby hands, Ruth pulled trying to get out of the chair. It was boring sitting in the chair and far too uncomfortable. “Ugh. Ugh,” she groaned looking up at Chris with her deep blue eyes. Whatever her momma was doing seemed to be one of those long-winded adult things.

Chris felt his attention waiver a bit as he looked over at Ruth, he couldn’t deny everything seemed to be going all over the place right now but he could tell she was done with the seat. Chris looked under the table, knowing any good mom always had a bag nearby he looked and found it as he let Lexi to continue talking as he found the item he felt the little baby would need. “She is about the age of my niece, I was last month visiting them on his ship… if you pay attention enough to them they repeat patterns of needs and wants.” Chris said as he found what he was looking for as he grabbed the bottle from the bag and placed it on the table as he reached over and pulled Ruth from her chair as he placed her on his lap before handing her the bottle as he kept her nestled and secure as he gently bounced her as she began to take her bottle.

“Okay, continue… I guess…” Chris said as he felt like right now everything was upside down like that Stranger Things Lexi made him watch. Those kids never seemed to catch a break and right now he knew exactly how that felt. Looking down he smiled softly at the little girl as he kissed the top of her head as he kept the bouncing movement steady as he waited for Lexi to continue.

“Noah and I had a baby. It was a one night thing. Too much wine and too many silly promises,” Lexi began to spin her tale. “We didn’t see each other after the conference for about two months. It was not like we had made up or gotten back together so when I told him I was pregnant we agreed that was not a solid enough reason to get married. So we decided to just stay friends. It got to be too much to be a single mom on a starship so I left the Aquarius and came back home.”

“A month after I got home I met Toby. He s a communications officer for Starfleet Headquarters. He thought it was best for me to give up my commission. Since I was…am…since I am getting married its not like I need a job anymore so I quit Starfleet.” Of all the things Lexi was talking about this was the only actual piece of truth. “I had planned on sending that invitation a thousand times but I wanted to do it personally so I asked you to come to Earth.”

“Yes… I knew you left Starfleet, but… you never told me any of these side pieces. I thought you… I don’t know what you wanted back here on Earth if I am honest but… this…” Chris said with a sense of ironic folly as he looked down at Ruth and smirked just slightly. “This wasn’t the life I thought you were leading.

Opening the crisp white envelope, Chris would immediately see two things: the wedding colors seemed to be aquamarine and the design was star themed with print along the top in silver glitter.

Lt. Lexi Garfield

Chris took the letter with his free hand as he held it close to Ruth as he opened it, the baby trying to touch and grab it as he opened made him smile as he opened to read the text. It was so much that spoke to Chris, the aquamarine and silver, these were all things he associated with him and Lexi. Why she used them for inventions befuddled him but all the same he couldn’t help but smile. “I know isn’t it pretty pumpkin, look at those colors… this color is the best color you know why?” he said as he tilted his head down as Ruth seemed to look up at him almost as if she knew he was talking to her.

“This color is made with blue and green, your mom loves blue and I love green… so it makes the perfect color. I am gonna be the best Uncle Chris and make certain you don’t get into mommy’s hair when she gets married yes I am little one yes I am!” Chris said, he had to focus on anything but Lexi right now, if he didn’t look up at her he could forget things for a moment and just let himself be silly with her child. He needed desperately to get over his love for Lexi and for once he felt he had the reason to do so, her wedding. He knew if he could get past this he could get past her.

“So…” Chris broke the silence as he looked back at Lexi, “The wedding is in three days? Who… who all is coming? You said Noah… Ian is here isn’t he?” Chris said as he shook his head as pieces of conversations began to click. His best friend told him just two weeks ago he was gonna be on Earth for a few weeks before Chris came to the Atlantis for a vacation with Kelly. Ian was always one to know all the gossip and history of everyone around them, if anyone knew of this wedding he had. Ian would have to have some words on why he kept him in the dark later but for now he just wanted to find his happy center. That moment where you learn to love unselfishly, Lexi wasn’t ever going to be his but if she was happy he could be too.

Christopher Robins