Posted by Lieutenant Christopher Robins (Stellar Cartographer) in Going to the chapel....Chris and Lexi are gonna get married

Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Going to the chapel....Chris and Lexi are gonna get married

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11:30 AM Reception Hall
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Lexi held Chris’ hand tightly as they walked up the steps to the Merchant Exchange that housed her canceled wedding to Toby Schmidt. Her tummy was doing somersaults at the knowledge she was going to have to face 300 people who only an hour and a half before expected to see a bride kiss a grin and then gorge themselves on food and drink. Trying to find ways to settle her nerves, Lexi played a few mind games. Okay so I invited three hundred people but only one hundred and fifty were for the bride. Since Toby’s side has probably high tailed it to his parent’s place in Catalina that is only half an angry mob to deal with. I can send Chris off to find Ruth which will take him out of any uncomfortable situations with rowdy guests that might have lingered. We can stay at his hotel tonight which will space us from my parents that are probably going to act like loan sharks asking how they are getting their money back when the ice sculpture and ten boxes of chocolate is dumped in their room. I will just tell my dad salvage what we can and Chris and I can do the JP thing instead of having a wedding like this, her voice came up with several solutions to the myriad of problems she was going to face in the next hour.

Still, even though this was her mess to clean up, she was glad to have Chris’ hand in hers as they headed down the hall and made a left to the reception hall. Aubrey had said her parents were waiting for them there when Lexi called to check on Ruth. She had hoped her sister was wrong as usual. Unfortunately this time, her sister was right. “Mom…Dad,” Lexi said letting go of Chris’ hand as she approached her parents.

“What the hell happened to you,” Ester Garfield raised an eyebrow at her daughter’s disheveled appearance. “You look like you have been rolling around in some forest.” As if to validate her claim, Ruth pulled a large leaf from the lace on the back of Lexi’s dress that she and Chris had missed. Lexi looked back at Chris and then tried to find the words to respond.

Looking over Chris saw Ruth as she began to try and put the leaf in her mouth as he quickly swooped it out of her hand as he threw it to the ground. “Come here pudding let me see you.” he said as he began to take Ruth as he held her in his arms as he looked back to Lexi. He knew how hard this was going to be, but he had felt more at peace in the last two hours than he had in twelve years. Holding Ruth close he looked at her for a moment as he couldn’t help but smile as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“I needed some space so I tried to climb a tree,” Lexi shrugged. The look on her mother’s face indicated maybe the truth promise was best to keep just between her and Chris. Giving him a side glance, Lexi took a deep breath. Her family like Chris well enough, yet what she and Chris were planning was bordering on lunacy.

“So you climbed a tree,” Ester’s look spoke volumes. The woman had a way of always making you crumble. If you didn’t she just beat the truth out of you with a stick when needed. “While we all were standing around a room full of people waiting for you to come down the aisle?” Lexi bit her lip. At times Ester, like all mother’s had a way of reducing any adult down to the age of five again with just a look. “Could you have maybe told us you were postponing the wedding before you decided to take up being an arborist. Toby told us all to give him an hour. He was going to find you and then things would be okay.”

“Yeah,” Lexi scratched her forehead. “Yeah, it’s gonna be more than an hour. There has been change of plans. Oiy this is so much harder than I thought it was going to be. Lexi’s parents where more than a little rigid. At times they were downright two by fours planks of cedar wood. One did not just spring news on the Garfields like she was about to do.

Lexi

“Mr and Mrs Garfield I am very sorry I kinda barged in today… I know this is all confusing…” Chris said as he chimed in, adjusting Ruth over his hip as he held her looking at the pair.

“Confusing,” Ester mimicked his words. “What part? The part about how you went on a boxing spree or the part about how you had to get bailed out of jail,” Ester cocked her head to the side. Chris had known her long enough to know Ester Garfield did not pull punches. She shot straight and called it like it was or how she saw it. “Did you come to participate in the wedding or break it up?”

“Mom,” Lexi snapped narrowing her eyes at Ester. There was not much she could do to stop the syrup of sarcasm coming from her mother. All Lexi could do was voice that she was displeased with the situation.

“What,” Ester turned her deduction skills on her daughter. Moving her hands about she gestured to Chris in the tuxedo. “Are you saying what he is wearing is not groom’s wear?”

“Well ahhh,” Lexi’s eyes widened as she looked at Chris for help.

“Well in all fairness I only three three of the six punches, that’s not even a passing grade. As for the wedding… well I think it was broken up long before I showed up.” Chris said, the truth was Esther was maybe the one person he should be afraid of, but he never had been. He understood her, she was fierce and strong and loyal to her family, he respected those aspects of her and knew she only ever meant the best in what she did and said.

Chris paused as he took a deep breath, everything seemed to be coming fast but he didn’t seem phased. He just needed to take things one at a time as he looked at Esther in the eyes, “This wasn’t quite how we thought about doing things years ago… well to be fair we never really talked about this outside of… well this dress.” Chris said as he began dusting more of Lexi off, a few puffs of dirt seemed to float in the air as he did.

Ester nodded with her hands clasped in front of her. She had no idea what the boy was going on about but given enough time, they all talked.

“I know we have all known each other for years, and you always welcomed me into your home… and things have in the past few years become… maybe odd or peculiar even but Lexi and I talked, and despite everything in our past we love each other, more than anything. I know today was supposed to be a Schmidt Garfield wedding but… things have a changed a bit.” Chris looked over at Lexi as he the shared a nod as he grabbed her hand as he let her parents see the new ring that was on her finger.

“Oh my god,” Ester rubbed her forehead. She was young once when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and all paperwork was done with hammer and chisels. Just like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, this course of events was going to be just as disastrous.

“We are getting married, not her and Toby… and we don’t want to waste our lives with long winded pomp and circumstance, we have a wedding set up today for us and even if we only have twenty people still around we are going to get married and start the life we should have begun years ago.” Chris said as he looked firmly in the eyes of both her parents, wondering how this would be taking by them.

Christopher Robins

“Today,” Ester said looking not a Chris but her daughter directly in the eyes. “As in today today right now?”

“Yes,” Lexi said weakly. It was such a romantic idea under the tree away from everyone but Chris.

“And you are going to find a rabi where? One eight hundred Talmud?” Ester threw out. Her daughter was not this dumb. She did not plan a wedding to dump the groom and insert another on the same day. Yes, Ester wanted her daughter happy but the method to finding happiness was lacking.

“Well we didn’t really get that far,” Lexi reached back for Chris’ hand.

“Ester maybe we should,” Levi started and was silenced with a wave of his wife’s hand. “Or not,” he corrected himself. Their marriage was not typical. Ester was the head of the house and no one questioned that.

“I assume you got far enough to tell him he is the baby daddy,” Ester blurted. If Lexi hadn’t now was the perfect time. The whole family knew he was the father and never understood why Lexi hadn’t shared that fact with Robins ten minutes after the stick turned blue.

Lexi

Chris, Ruth yawned putting her head down on his shoulder. She wanted to sleep but every time she closed her eyes when Chris was holding, he was gone when she woke up. She stared off just listening to his voice as her eyes grew heavier and heavier.

“I am very much aware that this little perfect girl…” Chris said as he paused and looked at Ruth as she laid her head on his neck, “is mine.” She wasn’t sleeping but did seem to want the comfort of hearing his heart beat as she seemed to scan the room. Lot of loud scary voices, grand parents seemed to be more angry than she odds are had ever seen and so much had happened.

“I also forgave her for all of that… we made a lot of really bad choices… hurt each other over and over but that’s over. As for the plans of a Rabbi… frankly I don’t give a damn I aint Jewish doll.”

“Ummm wait,” Lexi’s face showed this was new to her too.

“No. No way not going to happen. A wedding without a Rabbi is only going to happen over my dead body,” Ester she crossed her arms.

“I just want to be married, you want us to re do it on our tenth anniversary one day all Hebrew and proper that’s fine, but for now I’d settle for a justice of the peace if I have to.” Chris said as he eyed Esther, he wasn’t going to back down from the marriage today. He was going to find a way if it killed him and no one was going to ever stop him.

Christopher Robins

“Okay Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Tuco,” Levi called out the famous trio from the icon western film with the mournful melody, “everyone settle down. You”, he pointed to Lexi, “go see how long they can hold the reception. Since I paid for it we might as well get it in doggie bags. You,” he pointed to Chris, “are not taking my daughter to the justice of the peace so figure out how you are saying I do if that is what you want as long as it involves a Rabbi. And you,” he got around to his wife, “go have a drink at the bar until these two figure out what the hell is going on.” Levi rarely took a stand on anything started issuing commands.

“I want a Rabbi Christopher,” Ester pointed her finger at him as he walked with her husband for a drink. Noon was a bit early but it had been a long time since she had had a day like this.

Rubbing her daughters back as Ruth stared off into space on Chris’ shoulder Lexi looked for some answers. “So what are we doing,” she asked Chris. “Maybe we should postpone for a week. Your parents aren’t here. I have no idea what the reception is like. I look a mess,” Lexi sighed. “Baby I want to marry you but I am not sure we can pull this off today.”

Lexi

“No… I don’t know what to do but…” Chris paused as he saw Ian and Kelly off to the side as his eyes got wide as a sight he had not expected began to pour into the room. “Is… that my family?” he said as he suddenly felt a cold chill down his spine as he saw Ian smiling widely at him with two thumbs up. What did you do? Chris mouthed as he watched as they all seemed to pile in.

“Baby, I didn’t invite them to the wedding,” she said in an apprehensive tone. “I mean I would have,” she started to backpedal some after her confession. “I thought about it but it seemed weird to do that when I am not…was not,” she corrected herself, “since I wasn’t marrying you.”

“Uncle Chris!” could be heard from the small little boy who was with the crowd. As he and a smaller girl who was much younger followed him. It was clear the girl couldn’t run, instead she seemed to waddle falling a few times as she tried to keep up with her brother as the pair got to Lexi and Ruth as Lando wrapped his arms around Chris’s leg.

“Lando buddy… what… what are you all doing here?” Chris said as he could see the rest coming, his parents Jeremy and Tabatha were talking to Kelly but Ian came forward with Paul and Nathan with their wives Jaime and Meghan, Meghan of which was very much pregnant looking about six months along.

“Ian invited us… he said you are getting married?” Paul said as he looked at his brother and then over to Lexi. “Hey Lex dear, you look lovely… a little dirty but lovely.” he said as the all seemed to surround them.

“I climbed a tree,” she shrugged. Although weird it was weird enough most people would not press the topic after her statement.

“And who is this?” Jaime said as she walked up to Chris’ side he had Ruth as she gently brushed her hair as they all seemed to be staring and the trio like they were some exhibit.

Ruth was not shy but Chris was right a few days ago. For some reason, everyone seemed to want to hold or fussy about her the past few days. Schooching up on Chris’ shoulder she buried her face into his shirt. The man seemed nice enough but Toby started off nice too.

“That’s Ruth isn’t?” Nathan said, he heard Lexi had a child from Ian one day when he talked to him about Chris, but from what he knew was that it was not Chris kid. Right now as they all seemed to surround them it seemed it might be a bit different.

“One question at a time… yes this is Ruth… maybe we can all go talk?” Chris said as he looked to the left and saw a room they could all go in to find some quiet from the crowds.

Meanwhile....

“Okay, Kelly… what has my son got himself into. You got him on his ship and then he got married? Or is getting married? This… well this all seems a little unorthodox. I don’t get to dock often at ESD so somehow this lined up brilliantly but… what the devil is going on here?” Jeremy asked as he and Tabatha seemed to be cornering Kelly to bleed information from her while the siblings took care of their brother.

“Do you have about two hours and are you able to do shots,” Kelly laughed motioning them to the bar which now seemed to be the holding room for whatever this event was turning out to be.

Christopher Robins

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Bride’s room
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Lexi kept half an eye on Ruth and half an ear on Chris as he caught his family up to speed. She was a bit concerned he was announcing Ruth’s parentage but now that the cat was out of the bag it made no sense not to call him Ruth’s father. She had nothing to add to Chris’ explanation so Lexi just stood quietly and listened.

On the other side of the room, Ruth sat with Lando and Kaitlyn keeping half an eye on her mom and half an ear on Kaitlyn.

“So what is your name again,” Kaitlyn asked picking up one of the toys Lexi hastily scattered on the floor to entertain the kids.

I am Ruth Garfield, she babbled politely.

“No you are Ruth Robins,” Lando interjected pulling out a small toy vehicle from his pocket.

No I am Ruth Garfield, she countered feeling a bit angry at Lando. My mom is Lexi Garfield so I am Ruth Garfield.

“Not if your dad is Uncle Chris because our name is Robins so that means you are a Robins and not a Garfield,” Lando stated proudly.

Now if Uncle Chris decides to marry your mommy then she becomes a Robins too like me, Kaitlyn said happily. It would also mean we would be family and get to spend lots of time together. We can spend Christmas and Easter and summer vacation together at the beach. The beach is so much fun. Uncle Chris sometimes takes us out on the surfboard, Kaitlyn began to chatter excitedly about all the fun things her family did. It would be nice to have another girl to play with at times. Lando could be fun but he was also very dull and boring.

Ruth’s eyes darted from the kids on the blanket to Chris and her mommy. Some things seemed to make sense but other parts were like huge holes where parts slipped away causing Ruth to not understand what was happening at times. How could she just change her name? Lando had to be teasing her. I don’t have a daddy so my name is like my mommy’s, Ruth stated firmly.

“Of course you have a daddy,” Lando rolled his eyes. Babies were so stupid at times. Being the oldest cousin, he felt it was his job to educate all the kids younger than him. “Everyone has a daddy. It happens when you have a baby. You are the first like me but when Uncle Chris marries Aunt Lexi, you will have more brothers and sisters. Then it sucks because you have to share everything including your mom and dad,” Lando began to make sure Ruth knew what was really important about a wedding.

Well how do you have a baby, Ruth asked. If a baby was going to be this much trouble, she would just make sure her mommy never got another one.

*You go on a honeymoon and come back with one. That is how I joined the family and how Aunt Meghan found her baby,” Lando pointed at his aunt.

Ruth’s eyes got big as she looked at her mom and Chris. She would let them get married but there was no way she was letting them bring a baby home after the wedding. She just met Chris. There was no way she was sharing him.

---

A knock on the door echoed through the room causing every eye to fall on the man entering. “Excuse me,” the wedding coordinator walked up to Lexi. “Ms. Garfield, we may have a small problem with the reception,” he had a stressed cadence to his voice. “It seems your fiance might not have been so pleased with the recent change of events. Would it be possible for you to come with me,” he gestured to the door.

“Sure,” Lexi said feeling a wave of nervous jitters beginning to fill her. “Chris can you look after the baby,” she gave a small head nod to Ruth, “so I can figure out what is going on?

Lexi

“See that is how it starts, Kaitlyn pointed at her Aunt. Your “Mommy” is your best friend but when she needs to do “mommy” things they dump you with the “Daddy”,” Kaitlyn had a mix of real words and babble.

Wait what, Ruth looked around seeing just a room of strange people and the word go only Lexi was not moving towards her like always but towards the door.

“No problem, you go settle this and I will be right here.” Chris said as his brothers looked up at her.

“We will help, Jaime and I, let the boys stay here and we can get a chance to talk more.” Meghan said as she pulled her self up, placing her hand on her back as she tried to shift her self up, but her large belly seemed to want to push her back down.

“Lemme help.” Jaime said as she got up and began aiding her sister in law as they both got steadied on their feet as they follow behind Lexi.

“Yeah and then after the honeymoon they don’t walk as well and always need a nap which they try to make you think you need too,” Lando zipped the car across the carpet until it began to fly in the sky.

Chris, Ruth babbled and instantly began to crawl towards Lexi. She was going to get this walking thing down sooner rather than later. Walking was so much quicker than this crawling stuff.

You are not going to make it, Kaitlyn called out.

“Go Ruthie go,” Lando cheered watching his newest cousin kick in the afterburner as she scampered after her mother. She was never going to make it. Kaitlyn was right but the one thing all Robins did was root for the underdog.

Chris looked at the ladies as they left, then turned to see his brothers seemed to be almost near gawking at him.

“What?” asked Chris as he got up from his seat and pulled Ruth from her spot on the floor.

Chris you are going the wrong way. I go with mommy, she babbled flailing her hands about as he talked to the other men in the room. Chris…Chris, I am not sure you are listening to me, Ruth became more chattery as Chris seemed to not be caring about what she was telling him. For the past three days Chris always stopped everything he was doing to pay attention only to her. Why he was not sprinting after Lexi when Ruth told him to was very perplexing. Listen to me, Ruth put her hands on either side of Chris’ cheeks pressing her nose to his as she babbled away. We stay with mommy. You like Mommy. I like mommy. Let’s go see what mommy is doing. Ruth rarely if ever was not attached to Lexi’s hip. This wedding nonsense had her spending a lot of time with Aunt Aubrey but that was not normal and not the way it was going to stay. To Ruth’s surprise, Chris did not high tail it to the door as requested but plunked down on the couch. This was going to call for sterner words.

Chris swiped Ruth’s feet so that she was in a sitting position on his lap as he chatted to Nathan and Paul. This was not however where Ruth wanted to be. Twisting around on his lap, Ruth wiggled until she got her feet under her enough to push to a standing position. Balancing on his thigh, Ruth moved so that her face was the only thing Chris could see as he explained some story Ruth had little interest in. Sticking her finger up Ruth began to babbly loudly no, no, no, waving her finger at his face. If the adults could do it so could she.

As he sat her back down on the couch they had all been in as he felt a small tug on his feet as Kaitlyn seemed to want the same treatment from her Uncle.

Chris I am not happy about this. Not happy at all, Ruth babbled with a scowl glaring out at the room. Taking a page from her mom’s book, he was Chris right now and not daddy. Daddy was only when he was doing exactly as she wanted him too.

Carefully and tenderly Chris began to lift her up to onto his other free lap as he kept both small girls in his arm, as Lando seemed to be oblivious as he played with the trucks and other toys laying on the ground.

Wait what do you think you are doing, Ruth turned her grumpy face to Kaitlyn.

Sitting with “Un cow Kiss”, Kaitlyn said looking at Ruth. With two uncles there was always a lap to snuggle on if her daddy Paul was busy. Ruth might be new to the family but that didn’t mean she got to keep Uncle Chris all to herself. As if to make a point she laid her head down on his chest getting comfortable. Everyone shared the adults in the Robins family. Ruth entering was not going to change this.

“It’s just we are surprised is all. You have a kid and are getting married today, you claimed I was brash marrying Meghan after 3 months of dating…” Nathan said as he smirked a little at his brother.

“Well… maybe I was jealous.” Chris replied as the girls both seemed to just want to snuggle up in his arms as they seemed to babble away at each other, Kaitlyn having a few words here and there leave her lips as the two girls seemed to just talk.

Kaitlyn you are nice but he is my Daddy Chris so get up, Ruth said firmly feeling for the first time jealousy. She didn’t know that is what it was called but she knew she did not like Kaitlyn sitting in her spot because in Ruth’s opinion everything on Chris was her spot. Shoulder, arm, leg, knee, lap: It didn’t matter. It all belonged to PROR or what she would later define as the People’s Republic of Ruth.

Make me, Kaitlyn too was feeling a bit jealous with Ruth now in the picture. Uncle Chris always carried her around and gave her sweets. If Ruth thought that was going to stop she had another thing coming.

Ruth let her eyes settle on Kaitlyn. If the battle lines were for Chris, Ruth would win. She never had a Daddy and she was not letting this one slip between her fingers. Toby was not going to be a good daddy that is why she bit him and sent him on his way. Once she showed her Mommy she was not happy with Toby, Lexi sent him away. Guess it was time to work that old magic again.

“Look, we are both ecstatic, you should have been with Lexi years ago. Just timing is quick but we are all here, so… maybe that’s a sign. Dad and I are only on Earth a half dozen times a year, you were transferring so you had this break. It’s perfect timing… and she… is gorgeous.” Paul said, being the closest he reached out and put a finger to Ruth who grabbed it for a few seconds as she seemed to shake his hand.

Christopher Robins

Luckily opportunity always presented itself if you watched for it. Her Grandpa said that all the time and again he was right. Daddy Paul had moved over to see Ruth which was the perfect opportunity to move Kaitlyn. Taking Paul’s finger in her hand Ruth shook it looking at Kaitlyn. You want to see how I am gonna move you, Ruth babble and then bit down hard on Paul’s finger. If things went according to plan like it did with Toby, Daddy Paul would get grumpy, pick up Kaitlyn and then leave the room. Or maybe Daddy Chris would hand over Kaitlyn to Daddy Paul which would allow Ruth and Chris to leave the room. Either way, Ruth would have Chris all to herself.

Lexi