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***
Madi has only one rule since her whole family died in that awful accident that only spared her.
You have to tell people you love them before it's too late.
That's why the long years Clarke and Bellamy had danced around each other had seemed like an eternity. And even though she had only witnessed the last three, she knows for a fact (Jasper and Octavia) that this little game had started four years before she entered Clarke's life. She was just six years old then, but it didn't take Madi long to realize that her foster mother was in love with the tall, dark-haired, kind man who often came over for dinner and took the two of them for long walks in the woods or for ice cream on the pier. Likewise, it didn't take her long to guess that Bellamy was sharing Clarke’s feelings.
Long story short, Madi had waited for almost all of her childhood for two people who loved each other to finally admit it. An experience that only reinforced her absolute rule. Telling people you love them before it's too late is something that seems so easy on paper, but Bellamy and Clarke had made it look incredibly difficult and it sometimes makes her wonder about the future of her mantra, now that she’s growing up and slowly entering adolescence, having just blown out her thirteenth candle.
That's why when Abby and her partner Marcus Kane announce their upcoming wedding, Madi squeals with joy and jumps around their necks immediately.
"I'm so happy for you!" she tells them as she hugs them.
She can now rest her chin on Abby's shoulder. Clarke says she'll probably even be taller, once she's done growing.
Taller, maybe, but still her beloved granddaughter.
When she steps back to let them breathe, the future spouses have tears in their eyes and big smiles on their faces, although their glances are hesitant when they settle on Bellamy and Clarke, sitting in front of them and looking quite surprised by this unexpected news.
Bellamy is the first one to get up to put a kiss on Abby's cheek and shake Marcus' hand. The fact that he’s the one who introduced the latter to Clarke's mother makes this moment even more special, in Madi's eyes. Sure, he was slightly uncomfortable at their first family dinner, after Kane and Abby's friendship developed into love. Marcus was (and still is) after all his boss. However, the atmosphere had quickly relaxed and the two men had formed a deep friendship. Perhaps that's why only Bellamy looks surprised when the groom asks him to be his best man.
Well, it doesn't surprise Madi.
Without any hesitation, Bellamy accepts, the emotion showing in his eyes. Then, a weird uncomfortable silence settles in as he takes his place back next to Clarke, who hasn't moved from her chair but whose reaction everyone is apparently waiting for.
"Are you sure?" her adoptive mother asks Abby, her voice wavering.
On her wrist, she touches and turns the watch her father gave her years ago, shortly before his death, and Madi notes the hand Bellamy places on her thigh, comforting and reassuring. The girl is suddenly more than grateful for him and the way he always knows what Clarke is thinking and feeling (except when it comes to her feelings for him, of course). Like Madi, he has surely guessed what Clarke fears: for her mother to jump into this new marriage just for one day maybe, another tragedy to happen, a tragedy from which she won't be able to recover this time.
However, it seems that Clarke has nothing to worry about. Abby nods her head, determined and confident, and barely holds back her tears of joy when she asks:
"It would mean the world to me to have you as my maid of honor... If you want to."
The emotion is palpable between the two Griffins as Clarke nods silently, then stands up to come and hug her mother, who meets her halfway.
All this happiness makes Madi's heart swell with joy and love, so much so that she doesn't hold back the words that seem to explode out of her and she, in turn, hugs her adoptive mother and grandmother while exclaiming, as she promised herself:
"I love you all so much. I'm so happy! This is going to be a fantastic party."
***
The party is sure to be fantastic, but the preparations are hell, and Madi adds a new golden rule to her list of now two rules.
Never, ever, ever agree to be anyone's maid of honor.
A wedding, when you don't know anything about it, is this wonderful moment of simplicity, filled with love and celebration of friendship and family. How can something that seems so natural and effortless be so complicated to plan?
For months, Clarke and Bellamy don't stop. Madi didn't even know that accepting the honor of being the bride and groom's witnesses also meant being at their disposal during all the preparations for the ceremony, but one thing is for sure, she won't be fooled like they were.
She watches them running around, writing list after list, then rewriting them again, scrambling to book that magical place Marcus took Abby on their first date. Civil or religious wedding? Outdoor or indoor? And a plan B if it rains? How many guests? And then you have to choose: the invitations, the flowers, the dresses and suits, the menus, the cake, the wine, and champagne. And don't let her start about the seating plan that has to be made and remade and remade again. It seems that the list of things to organize never ends!
And the money, the unimaginable amount of money it takes to celebrate this kind of union! And Madi doesn't just think that because she overheard Bellamy exclaim it one night when he was running the numbers for the 10th time. Not that money is a problem for Abby and Marcus, but spending that much on a single day seems a little crazy to her too if she's being honest.
She almost understands why Clarke and Bellamy never wanted to take the step and get married. Not that she'd never heard them talk about it, but it never seemed like a big deal to them anyway, as they'd pretty much done everything "backward".
They were roommates while in college, then split up when they each got a steady job (because who, in their damn mind, keeps a roommate when it’s not necessary anymore?) although their apartments were still close to each other. They moved back together after Madi arrived, when they realised that Bellamy was always here anyway. They were already a family, so to speak, the first time they said “I love you” to each other. Then, they bought and moved into their house just six months after making their relationship official. In all of this, the idea of marriage had faded.
And in the end, was it really that important? Wasn't the love they shared what really mattered?
For Madi, it certainly is, but she's not nearly as complicated as the adults around her. Give her a white summer dress, decorate her garden, set up tables and chairs for twenty guests, and play Jasper's playlists and you have the perfect wedding, in her opinion.
She doesn't need to know that the flowers are roses and proteas, that the dress is a Maison Floret, that the quartet knows how to play classical songs, but also more modern music, and that the priest, Gabriel Santiago, was a military doctor before entering the church and that’s why "it makes him the perfect person to marry a surgeon and a colonel, don't you think?"
It all seems so complicated that in the end, Madi wonders: is going through all this trouble really worth it?
***
It's worth it. In the end, it's worth it, Madi understands on the big day.
She realizes it for the first time the moment Clarke calls her to their room in the big mansion Abby and Marcus have rented for the occasion. She enters, and her mission is simple: to pull up the zipper of Clarke's dress. And as Bellamy is already gone to seek Gabriel at the airport, it's Madi who has this honor.
The young girl takes a good minute to recover from the vision of her adoptive mother in her bridesmaid dress. And it's only a bridesmaid's dress. Madi wonders how she will react to seeing Abby in her wedding dress at this point.
Clarke is simply gorgeous. Bellamy is going to fall head over heels. Not that he doesn't already know she's gorgeous, of course, but this takes it to another level. Her long hair, pulled up into a bun of intricate braids, as well as her makeup, are perfect and the soft pink of her dress, as well as the style of the outfit, compliment Clarke's perfectly and—
"You look so beautiful, Clarke!" exclaims Madi, causing the blonde to smile brightly, which enhances her cheekbones, brightens her blue eyes, and makes her even more gorgeous.
Like a Princess. Huh, seems like Bellamy’s old nickname for Clarke wasn’t that far from the truth.
For a second, Madi almost wishes Clarke was the bride. And Bellamy the groom, of course. Not Marcus. That would be weird.
Then Madi notices something that immediately confuses her.
"You're not wearing your watch?"
Clarke's wrist looks quite empty, without the presence of Jake's old watch on it.
"Oh. It's just that it didn't match my dress," Clarke replies, pointing to her sleeveless gown.
"I can wear it, if you want," Madi immediately offers.
"You’d do that?"
"Yes. Honestly, I'd love to. It's important that all the people we love are here for us at times like this, even if they can't be here. And from what you've told me, I'm sure Jake would have liked Marcus a lot."
Clarke's eyes begin to glisten with emotion and her voice shakes as she thanks her daughter. Her fingers tremble slightly while she helps Madi attach the watch to her wrist.
Now everything is back in order, Madi thinks to herself and smiles at Clarke as she leads the way to the ceremony. Closing the door to their room, she makes a new promise to herself. The third on her list.
When she gets married, she will also make room for the people she loves who are gone.
That way, her mother, father, and baby brother will be there with her, even if they can't be physically present.
***
Bellamy falls head over heels. Literally. He, usually so confident and self-assured, stumbles over his feet when he sees Clarke in her princess dress. And Clarke? She is not in a better state. Her eyes go through the silhouette of her companion, and the tailored suit that he wears for the occasion which fits him like a second skin, and the blonde blushes before looking away to return her attention to the main event: the bride and groom saying their vows, of course.
Still, it's hard not to look at the person you care about most when the words spoken remind you of the love you feel for them, Madi thinks to herself as she lets her mind drift to her lifelong best friend, Jordan Green, who's causing her a lot of trouble right now with his bright smiles and laughing eyes and—
"Abby," Marcus begins in a voice loud enough to be heard by the hundred or so guests sitting in the stands. "The first time I saw you, I thought: this woman and I are too different. We come from different worlds, different upbringings. Our characters are different, our aspirations are different. She and I will never work."
In the assembly: horrified murmurs. But all Madi can do is laugh softly before listening to the rest of the groom's vows.
"One date and a few hours later and I was leaving with one certainty: you were the one I'd always been waiting for. The woman of my life. You know how to take care of me while letting me take care of you in return. You are kind but fiercely protective. You never let me be complacent, you support me, you challenge me, you make me feel alive. With you, I have found my place in this world and I’m marrying you today in the hope that I never leave it."
In the assembly: fond sighs. But all Madi can do is look at Bellamy. Bellamy who can’t seem to stop staring at Clarke from where she stands behind Abby. And this look so deep, so intense, so pure. It seems to carry all the weight of Marcus’ words, that seems to fly away to settle on them like a veil of softness, an invisible link that connects them and that allows them to speak without words. It makes so much sense that Bellamy finds himself in the vows of the man he has considered his mentor for so many years and who, like him, has chosen to love a Griffin for the rest of his life.
Madi holds her breath as their priest signals to Abby that it’s her turn. Her grandmother swallows slowly before offering a smile to her future husband.
"Marcus," she declares with equal confidence. "I never thought I'd ever get married again. After Jake passed away, I thought I'd never been able to love someone like that anymore. And I was right."
In the audience: shocked murmurs. If Madi herself is surprised by these words, Marcus looks calm, as does Clarke, whose blue eyes shine with emotion as her mother utters the words she could almost say herself.
"I've known burning love, love that makes you lose your mind, makes you go insane, love that deeply changes the person you are. But this is different. I'm lucky enough to have met true love twice in my life. And you, Marcus, you balance me, you soothe me, you center me. My love for you is rooted in our first years of friendship, in the trust we have in each other, in the dialogue we never break. It's my best friend, whom I'm marrying today, and with him the knowledge that even when we'll be too old to do anything else or go anywhere else, I'll just be happy to be by your side."
Wow. Just— wow. Did Clarke write Abby's vows? Because it's confusing somehow, the way the words could so easily fit her personal story and—
Next to Madi, Wells wipes his nose loudly, sobbing, and the girl finally realizes that in front of her, Marcus is sniffling too. Abby is crying warmly and tears are running down Clarke's cheeks, and shining in Bellamy's eyes.
Well— everyone is crying and new heartfelt murmurs rise from the audience as Father Santiago declares Abby and Marcus united by the sacred bonds of marriage and finally allows them to kiss.
Everyone rises to their feet, applauding, whistling, and shouting as the newlyweds exit the church. And while Madi is absolutely overwhelmed with happiness for her grandmother and the man she just married, it's Clarke and Bellamy she watches as they steal a soft kiss at the very place where people vow to love each other for eternity, under the tender look of an amused Gabriel.
Madi adds another rule to her list that is now starting to lengthen.
Choose to spend your lifetime with the one person who will also be your best friend.
***
Bellamy and Clarke perfectly planned everything. Of course, they did. There's a plan A, a plan B, and multiple strategies to cover all eventualities. They're both like that, and Madi figures that if there are two people to keep around in case of an apocalypse, it's her adoptive mother and her partner. Maybe they should consider going into the wedding planning business if the world doesn't end because the results of their efforts are stunning.
Not that they have much time to admire the venue, because as soon as they arrive, they are not given any time to breathe. The second they enter the room the photographer jumps on them as well as on the bride and groom and asks them to settle under a pretty flowery arch to pose.
Madi barely hears the woman introduce herself. This Luna, no matter her experience, cannot compete with the fact that Marcus had had this arch built especially for his wedding with Abby. She is engrossed in the details, dazzled by the handiwork, when she meets Bellamy's eyes, also mesmerized, and smiles at him. They have always had, both of them, a passion for manual work and DIY.
Besides, if Madi thinks about it for a few seconds, Bellamy would totally be the type to design and build this stuff with his bare hands for his and Clarke's wedding.
The pictures follow one another. First, the bride and groom together. Then, the bride and her daughter. The groom and his best man. Then, the witnesses together. When Luna asks Bellamy to hold "his wife" and Clarke to look "her husband" in the eyes, only Madi seems to notice that neither of them bothers to correct the photographer, even blushing slightly when Luna asks for "their daughter" to come and pose with them in the picture, which Madi does without correcting her either.
After all, and maybe sooner than anyone imagines, Bellamy and Clarke will one day be husband and wife. And it's almost guaranteed that in the future she will ask the man who is already like a father to her to sign the papers that will give him that official title.
So Madi hugs Bellamy and Clarke and smiles in the photos, not just because she's asked to, but simply because she's happy to be able to share so much happiness with the people she loves more than anything in the world. She’s happy to see Abby and Marcus basking in the glow of their new commitment, to see them kissing for photos, and wiping away tears during toasts, and then taking their rightful place in the center of the dancefloor for their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Kane.
And if Madi hears Clarke whisper in Bellamy's ear under the vibrations of the quartet's strings that she will keep her last name when they get married, it's just a bonus: the cherry on the gigantic and majestic cake that the bride and groom cut under applause.
Because, as this magic day passes, Madi observes Clarke and Bellamy more and more carefully. She scrutinizes the way they seem to gravitate around each other even more than usual, the way they cannot break contact, the way they spend the day sneaking glances and absent minded touches. She notices and takes notes of their eyes shining, their smiles widening, their hearts swelling with hope while a fragile question seems to rest on the edge of their lips: why not them, too? And if Madi wants to answer a big "yes", she holds back, knowing by experience that it's useless to rush them, that they will progress step by step in this direction, and will reach their destination when they are both ready.
Madi is sure that this moment will come soon, but she keeps it to herself and watches Bellamy and Clarke whispering, laughing, and dancing under the fairy lights that they have arranged for the night. More than ever, she's glad to have a couple like theirs as a role model. Not a seemingly perfect couple, but a real and solid one, forged by a deep friendship and the sometimes difficult hardships they've gone through together, a couple that thrives in a healthy relationship that makes them grow rather than suffocates them, that helps them reach their potential rather than change them.
That's the kind of romance Madi would like to have one day, too. That's the kind of family she'd like to build in the future, she thinks to herself as she joins them on the dance floor when the music changes and she thinks she recognizes one of her favorite songs played on the violin.
"Oh my god! Is that "Bad Guy"?!"
Bellamy and Clarke shrug without recognizing the music playing in the background, then hug the girl as she dances and twirls between them, and Madi exults, full of new energy that spreads all around her, as a new rule is added to her list.
There's a common thread between Bellamy and Clarke, Abby and Marcus, and even the music that Madi enjoys right now, but never thought she'd be dancing to when she saw the looks of the performers. It's a rule Bellamy must have told her a hundred times before, literally and figuratively, but one she never really paid attention to until now.
Never judge a book by its cover. The most valuable treasures, like what they protect, are most often hidden.
***
Clarke catches the bride's bouquet. Of course, she catches the bride's bouquet. As if it could be anyone else. And yet, Madi can see that it was not her intention. Among the people gathered behind the bride, she doesn’t stand in the middle or front. She doesn't play elbows, doesn't make herself taller and more imposing than she is, she doesn't even tell Abby to aim for her. It's as if she doesn't want to catch that bouquet. And yet, there it falls, right into her hands, as if it had always been there.
Standing next to her, Bellamy blushes and Madi laughs as she rests her head on his shoulder, tired. Both of them watch from afar as Abby hugs her daughter before grabbing Marcus's hand and running to the white limousine that is waiting to take them to the airport where they will catch a plane that will take them to the end of the world to celebrate their honeymoon in a place even more heavenly than this fairy tale mansion.
When Clarke comes back to them, it's to tuck herself under Bellamy's free arm and sigh with contentment and tiredness, asking if they, too, can go home, now.
Unfortunately, now hardly means immediately.
Saying goodbye to other guests, chatting with distant family members, and giving final instructions to the various mansion staff takes time. In the end, they are almost the last ones to leave the party, and Madi, who can barely stand on her feet, willingly lets Bellamy carry her when his arms close around her and lift her off the ground.
She drifts off to sleep on the way to their car, hears the doors closing, the seatbelts clicking in their latches, and the engine starting. She is already at the brink of sleep when Clarke's voice echoes through the silent car.
"It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?"
Bellamy hums his agreement softly and lets the silence fall comfortably between them.
"I think we did a good job, don't you think?"
It's the nervousness in Clarke's voice that makes Madi open an eye.
"I think we did good, Clarke. Your mother and Marcus seemed pleased and happy. The guests were all praising the choices we made. I had a wonderful day," Bellamy tells her as he places his hand on hers where it rests on her thigh.
"Me too," Clarke replies, suddenly hesitant. "I didn't think getting married could be this beautiful, to be honest."
Bellamy laughs softly before nodding and adding:
"It would be almost tempting, wouldn't it? Although, I'd go for something more informal than that, with fewer guests."
"Really?" asks Clarke, who doesn't seem surprised by his preferences, but mostly by the fact that he's given the idea of getting married more than a passing thought, and has gone as far as imagining how many guests there might be at their wedding.
"Yes. And Clarke— all of this, the planning, today… It got me thinking—" he begins as Clarke says, "Because I thought about it and—"
They smile at each other, and Madi is suddenly glad that Bellamy is driving so slowly and that the road is so easy because his attention is completely focused elsewhere at that moment. He opens his mouth and offers, "Go ahead, you fir—" but doesn't have time to finish his sentence before the words are already rushing to Clarke's lips.
"Will you marry me?"
"You had to ask first, didn't you?" laughs Bellamy.
"What do you mean?"
"It means it's the question I was going to ask you too. Will you marry me."
"Really?"
"Of course, I wouldn't joke about something like that. Were you joking?"
"No, I'm very serious."
Madi barely holds back a sigh. She's genuinely curious about how these two managed to finally admit their feelings to each other and become a couple. No wonder it took them years.
"We never really thought about getting married before," Bellamy says quietly. “But today was just…”
"Wonderful. Magical," Clarke finishes.
"Yes, and I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do if I were in their shoes, all the things that would be different, but would reflect us, together."
"Plus, it would make things so much simpler, for us to be united in the eyes of the law. For Madi, for school, for all the paperwork, the house, our loan..."
Clarke pauses when Bellamy bursts out laughing.
"What?" she asks.
"It's just that I hadn't gotten around to thinking about all those details. Mainly, I imagined the dress you'd wear and seeing you walk up to me, and the vows I would make to you, and that you could be called 'my wife' without me feeling the need to correct people."
"Yes, right. Sorry. For what it's worth, it's for all those reasons that I want you to be my husband, too."
"I think we forgot the main reason," Bellamy adds, offering her a bright smile.
"Yeah? Which one?"
"We love each other."
God, maybe it's the emotion of the day or the exhaustion, but Madi could cry right now, even though she's still pretending to be asleep in the backseat of the car.
"I love you, too," Clarke replies, her tone trembling slightly with emotion.
The smile in Bellamy's voice is obvious when he asks:
"So, is that a yes?"
Clarke leans in and places a kiss on his cheek, which makes him laugh.
"Yes. I'd still like to talk to Madi first, though? It would surprise me if she was against it, but I don't want her to feel left out and—"
This time, the girl can't stay silent.
"I'm in!" she exclaims surprisingly loudly, startling Clarke and Bellamy who thought she was asleep. "I just have a few demands though. I don't want to be a bridesmaid, it's way too much work. And I'd like to be next to Jordan on the seating chart."
Clarke's laughter almost drowns out Bellamy's surprised "Jordan?"
"Is that all?" asks her foster mom.
"I think so," Madi replies with a big smile before adding, "I'll make you a list."
***
Nine months later and the wedding is exactly like Madi pictured it.
Clarke wears a long and light dress, cream color, simple but pretty and above all: fluid enough not to tighten her six-month-pregnant belly.
Again, it's all Bellamy and her, doing everything backward. But if this is how their lives make sense, then what's wrong with a little chaos?
The ceremony takes place in their garden, in front of a small group of fifteen guests. A woman named Gaïa officiates their union, the connection between the three of them had been smooth from the beginning.
Madi is not a bridesmaid, and rightly so. Harper and Monty, respectively on Clarke and Bellamy's side, are much better at this role than she could have been. She prefers to have fun throwing the flowers on the bride's path, and calling Picasso over to bring the rings she's tied around her neck, making the small gathering laugh.
Murphy takes all the photos, putting his talent to good use and Madi knows from experience that they will be beautiful.
Jasper and Octavia handle the music. Well, Jasper handles the music while Octavia chases hers and Lincoln’s twins who seem to have skipped learning how to walk straight into learning how to do stunts.
Echo catches the bouquet, a second before Raven and Emori, and— okay, Madi had been surprised when Bellamy and Clarke had chosen to invite his ex, even though it had been more than a decade now since their relationship had ended and that they had remained good friends— but she understands better why they're so sure the brunette has moved on when she blushes, bouquet clutched to her heart, under the kiss Hope places on her cheek.
The best moment of the ceremony? Most definitely after the vows of Clarke and Bellamy when, her heart bursting with love, Madi couldn't help shouting:
"I love you both!"
Unless it's this exact moment, while she stands before her gathered family, Clarke and Bellamy, sitting at the center of the table, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, stars in their eyes and smiles on their faces, as Madi clears her throat and begins her speech.
"Listen up, everyone. I'm going to tell you the story of how Clarke and Bellamy proposed to each other at the same time, at one in the morning, on the way home from Abby and Marcus' wedding. No ring, just vibes."