Locke didn't notice the cold winter night, even after he and Katarina had walked almost halfway to the courthouse, turned back around, and headed back up towards New Haven. His leather jacket felt superfluous, what with the chilly temperatures, and with Katarina's mods letting her tolerate the cold just as well. He fidgeted with the sleeves as he walked, bunching and un-bunching them around his wrist and elbow. For a while, he walked in silence, casting a glance over in Katarina's direction every now and then.

Katarina had kept her hand in his and watched him in their mutual silence. She still felt the giddy feeling from their abrupt departure from the inn, but now as time had an opportunity to sink in, her mind was having a difficult time connecting the dots through the previous conversation and what they were doing now, "Tell me wha' yer thinkin'."

"Slightly sheepish. I think I sort of knew that the courthouse would be closed, and while I am sure this city would have some sort of...all-day marriage boutique, or whatever it is called, I cannot imagine that would be a good experience." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I didn't mean to get your hopes up, Katarina, but that doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said in the Inn."

"I'm nah disappointin' er mad a' tha'." She made sure to clarify that point before continuing, "I thin' 'm still tryin' ta understan' everythin' tha' ya were sayin'. Ya said tha' we should.. do whateva we wan', wheneva we wan', an' I get tha'. I guess... why now?"

"I'm...sorting it out myself, to be honest with you. I think the pressure was greater earlier, when the news of the engagement first leaked out, and we were both still in the public eye." He tried, but he couldn't quite hide a note of disappointment, of bitterness in that statement. "And then I was on house arrest, and I was working for that bank, and I barely saw my friends, and now...it feels like they've all changed so much and drifted away from me. And with that, there's less obligation to them to put on a bloody show, to try to make it perfect, to wait for everyone to be available to 'save the date', to get the flowers and cake and decorations ready and bloody perfect. It would take so much time, and we- you, you've waited longer than anyone should have to."

"Me." He made the correction that she wanted to hone on, "Bu' nah ya? Look, I dunno if I've made myself clear 'bout this subject ova th' years." Her free hand fiddled with the buttons on her peacoat, "I really mean' it when I said tha' I didn' car' 'bout how an' when, bu' I wun lie - startin' ta make plans an' feelin' like we were 'n th' same page, ta nah talkin' 'bout it a' all? It's a li'l hard fer me. I dunno wha' yer thinkin', er if ya feel th' same er nah. I acknowledge tha' ya've been... ya've been through a lot, an' it changes ya, righ'? Nah fer betta er worse, it jist does. I didn' wan' ta brin' it up 'cause I don' wan' ta lead this thin' by myself no more. I feel like ya jist do wha' I wan', and I dunno wha' ya really wan'. Shiny??

"All right." He took some time to think in silence as they made their way into New Haven, his free hand tapping slowly against his head as he fell deep into thought. "So you want to know what I would do, if the decision was solely up to me? Or not?"

She didn't have to think about her response, "Yeah, I would. Please."

"Years ago, I wanted that wedding. I wanted that spectacle. I wanted to see all of my close friends and family, and I wanted them to see us happy. Maybe...I wanted to prove them that I wasn't a louse anymore, that I had changed for the better, and for good. And then I never got to see my friends, and I had to work somewhere where it was assumed I was the same bloke I was when I was a lad. Sometimes, it feels like I lost them all. That I could save the bleeding world single-handededly and still be punished for past sins." He shook his head slowly at that thought.

"An' God knows, some people may do tha' ta ya, ta be sure." She had to stop and reached out to cup his face and look at him intently, "Wha' I'm tryin' ta understan' is wha' everyon' else has ta do wit' ya an' me."

When she stopped, he did, and he sucked in a breath when she placed her hands on his face. Words escaped him for moments that seemed to drag on for far too long, and he couldn't quite put the words together at first. "I...I don't know. It shouldn't, I know, but it does. I know that more than anyone else, you stood by me, and that means everything to me. I just..." He paused, eyes nervous and shifty for a second, before he finally forced them to fixate on hers. "I feel foolish saying it, but I want to be loved. By you and by them."

It was her turn to take a long while to process what he said. More importantly, she was trying to not feel like she wasn't enough for him and tried to get to the real heart of his troubles. Her hands gently fell back down to her sides. "Kin't speak fer yer friends, bu' I kin take a stab a' it. People dun call themselves yer friends an' nah mean it. Well, I know people do, bu' nah those like Eva an' Mason an' Eless. I know it's been a decent lon' while since ya've seen 'em - haven' seen 'em much myself eitha. Th' point is, tha' ya could run inta any o' 'em 'n th' street an' pick up righ' where ya lef' off like nothin's happened. Look a' wha' happened wit' Jolyon. It's th' same thin'. An' ya know all o' mah family loves ya ta pieces, an' I know yer family does too. Bu' I kin tell ya this till 'm blue 'n th' face," her lips twitched into a quick grin at the expression, "bu' it's up ta ya ta believe it an' yerself er nah."

"Right-o," Locke breathed out. "Right. Do you believe me when I say that I'm trying, but it's bloody hard, as hard as the bank was sometimes?"

She wanted to frown again, and tried to keep her face relaxed, "Well, yeah, I guess so. I jist... it's on' o' th' thin's tha' we dun share, yeah? There's nah many o' 'em though, ta be sure."

"So," Locke said, spinning a finger around in a circle. "We come back to the crux of the matter. What do I want now? I want to make you happy. If it means marrying tomorrow morning in front of the justice of the peace, so be it. If it means waiting longer, I am more than capable of waiting. If there is an intermediary solution available that I'm not as yet aware of, I am willing to explore it and discuss it. But together. I know you do not want me to be a silent partner, to just...go with the flow."

She laughed, "Nah, I dun. An' I dun wan' yer answer ta hav' me 'n it." She reached out and with a gentle touch, tugged lightly on the tip of his ear, "Deep down, wha' does Locke wan'?"

"What do I want..." The question rolled over his tongue, and his eye shut as he surrendered to deep thought. When he finally replied, his eyes were still closed. "I want to be Mr. Locke D'Vestavio-Smith. I want you, more than I have ever wanted anything in the world. Everything else - whatever else the world wants to put on top - doesn't matter to me."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, she launched into his unexpected arms and kissed him. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rough either. Her arms were tight around him while the tightness in her heart lessened significantly.

With his eyes still shut, Locke didn't know her kiss was coming until he suddenly felt lips pressed against his. For a split-second, his eyes opened, then shut again just as quickly as he kissed her back. His strong arms wrapped around her just as tight, and he found it difficult to break the kiss long enough to whisper in throaty tones. "I love you so bleeding much, Katarina."

"I love you, too." She kissed him more before bringing her hands down to cup his face again as she rested her forehead against his. "I want to marry you. I want to make you mine and I want to be the constant in your life that doesn't fade away or doubt. I want to be that person for you more than anything else."

Locke sniffled, attempting to stave off tears that he knew would soon be coming if this kept up. "You- you're going to make me leak, Katarina." He tried tossing off a goofy grin, but her words had touched him deeply, and there was awe and wonder shining bright in his eyes.

"A habit 'm nah sure I like. So," her hands ran slowly down the edges of his opened leather jacket as she grinned, "tomorra, then? I gotta dress, an' a ring fer ya 'lready."

"Tomorrow. You wear that dress, and I'll add another ring for my necklace." He pulled the chain of the necklace out from where the grey t-shirt covered some of it, making the spoon ring attached to it more pronounced against his chest. "And I...shall put on my finest tuxedo." He capped the sentence with a classic wink and grin.

"Perfec'." She took a small step back and offered a hand out to him to shake, "It's a date."

Locke couldn't help but giggle at the offered handshake. Because she had the mods, he took off one of his gloves and shook barehanded, smiling brightly at the sensation of cold fingers and palm against his own cold hand. Before she could take the hand away, his other gloved hand came over to rest softly on the top of hers. Slowly, he lifted the hand to his lips, brushing his own against the knuckles, before letting go. "It's a date."

He pretended the kiss had struck him like an arrow, clutching his hands over his heart, then flopping back in his seat in the carriage. For a while, he played dead, then sat up straight out of the blue with a wink and grin. "Or both. I like both.."

"I like both, too." She smiled warmly for him, and realized that they were quickly approaching the court house. She started to feel all flushed again and she let out a long breath, "So, ya ready?"

"Of course. Not born ready, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I am as ready as I have ever been." He straightened the bowtie around his neck, then took a long, lingering look at her.

"Nah born ready?" That made her laugh, "Yanno, I kinda like feelin' tha' th' momen' ya dun feel so, so confiden' happens ta deal wit' me." When the carriage stopped, the driver assisted her and her things off of the carriage. She left Locke to leave him instructions - her brain probably wasn't capable of it.

Locke spent a minute giving the driver directions on when to come back, and what to put on the back of the carriage when he came back, before he met back up with Katarina. He offered her a hand to hold before they climbed the steps up to the front door of the courthouse. Once inside, they passed through security without incident (and, indeed, the security guard got a smile on his face when he heard what their business at the courthouse was), and followed the guard's directions to the Justice of the Peace's office. A large mahogany door, taller than the both of them, stood shut, though with a sign in one of the frosted glass windows that said "OPEN". Now it was Locke's turn to take a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Um, well...." she fidgeted with her fingers a bit, before offering a smile, "thin' I should change firs'?" Truth was, she hadn't thought much about how things happened past entering the building.

Locke laughed, the first sign of nerves since he had woken up in the morning. He shook his head, more at himself than at Katarina. "That would make sense. Shall I wait to fill out the name change paperwork, or should we work on that all in one fell swoop?"

"Ya star', yeah? Thanks, melamin." She went to him as if to kiss him, and turned her head slightly last minute to kiss his cheek. With a saucy wink, she headed for the ladies room.

His cheeks turned slightly purple at the kiss, and he watched her walk away until she was out of sight. Only when she was did he push the door open, with the predictable bell attached to the top of the door ringing. A middle-aged woman with reading glasses and an eyeglass chain looked up from the newspaper she was reading. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. We were hoping to get married today, and wished to fill out a marriage license and name change form."

"And where is the bride-to-be?" the clerk asked, looking bemused.

"Oh...getting dressed presently. But I can start on the name change form."

"Why would you do that?" Equal parts suspicion and confusion colored her face.

"Because I'm changing my name," Locke replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. This, however, just made the woman seem more confused.

"Well...all right then. Here are the forms - " she handed him two clipboards with two sheets of carbon paper attached, " - and here is a pen. Press down hard, so that it writes through all the layers. Will you be exchanging vows, or just signing forms?"

"Vows, please."

When Katarina made it into the bathroom, she first placed attention to any make-up touch ups that the snow may have smudged. Next, she reached into her bag and pulled out some bobby pins to pull away some of her curls from her face. The meticulous nature helped her ease her nerves. When it was time to put the dress on, she rubbed her hands together as if they were damp. Thankfully, a tea-length dress was much easier to put on than a heavy dress with a train. When the dress was on, she studied herself in the mirror, trying to memorize the details on her long awaited day. The sweetheart neckline and delicate beading on the dress flattered her thinner figure. She didn't have enough time or didn't think about buying a veil when no other plans had been made; still, it didn't seem to bother her. Gathering her things, she made her way out of the bathroom, sucked in a breath, and then entered the office Locke had previously entered.

By the time Katarina had come back from changing into her wedding dress, Locke had filled out the name change form and completed his portion of the marriage license. The justice of the peace, a surprisingly young half-elf who couldn't have been much older than either Katarina or Locke, was just stepping out of his side office to the main room. He was dressed in a black suit, red tie, and white dress shirt.

"Are you the lucky groom-to-be?" he asked, pointing to Locke, then turning his attention to Katarina as she stepped inside. "And you must be the bride!"

Of course, when Locke saw Katarina entering the office in her dress, he was rendered speechless.

"And now, before we exchange the rings, if you would both repeat after me. This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love and trust between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife."

Locke took Katarina's wedding band off of his pinky finger and held it carefully between his index finger and thumb, taking a moment to admire the way the diamonds sparkled even in the low lighting; Johnny's handiwork. His hands shook a little as he placed the ring on her left ring finger, but he was able to slip it on without incident, and his voice held firm this time. "This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love and trust between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife."

Slipping Locke's ring off of her right thumb for safe keeping, Katarina placed it on his left ring finger, gliding it smoothly over his knuckle for a snug fit. The meteorite inlay had small, fine line designs and glittered with just the right light within the titanium ring. "This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love and trust between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife."

As soon as the rings had been exchanged, the justice smiled as he prepared to conclude the ceremony. "Until now, Katarina and Locke have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals. But from this day on, every day after this day shall be shared and spent as one. By the power invested in me by the city of RhyDin, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Locke managed to still his trembling hands long enough to place them on either side of Katarina's face, before tip-toeing up and leaning forward to kiss her deeply. He didn't know if there was a right way or a wrong way to share a first kiss with one's wife, he just knew that this felt like the best and only way he could express the depth of his feelings for her.

The last words of the justice were dim compared to the loudness of Katarina's heartbeat. Her eyes looked over Locke with wonder and she was already wrapping her arms around him and smiling before they shared their first married kiss. Her heart steadied in those long moments, and she felt a certainty in her soul that this was where she needed to be. When the kiss gently ended, she pulled back just far enough to study Locke's face, before she broke out into a grin, "Lor' an' Skies, yer finally a Smith!" She laughed before giving him a tight hug.

"Finally," Locke breathed out, as if their kiss had sucked up all the air in the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. ..." The justice paused to look down at the marriage license, confused by the fact that Locke had changed his name and Katarina hadn't. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "Mr. Locke D'Vestavio Smith and Mrs. Katarina Smith! Did you get the pictures, Margaret?"

"Of course," the clerk replied, with a sappy grin of her own for the married couple.

"Shiny." Finally releasing Locke, she turned her nanites off and looked to the justice. "Thank ya so much fer doin' this!" She gave him a rather unexpected hug.

The justice looked to Locke for a brief moment, before giving Katarina an awkward pat to her back, "You are very welcome."

Locke didn't seem at all offended by Katarina's gestures of appreciation for the justice. Instead, he took his right glove out of the front pocket of his tuxedo coat, pulled it on his hand, and shook hands with the half-elf who had just married the two. "Thank you, sir." Locke then glanced up at the wall, spying a discrete circular clock hanging in a corner, and grinned back at Katarina. "Our carriage should be pulling up to the front of the courthouse any minute now."

"Perfec'. Dun wan'ta keep 'im waitin'." Hugs were going to be given to anyone that was within Katarina's reach, and so the clerk was next, "Thanks fer takin' pictures fer us!" Camera received and nanites back on, Katarina grabbed Locke's hand so that they could exit the small chapel and retrieve her belongings. Handing him her dress bag, she sent Locke a goofy grin, "So Mista Smith, how'd ya feel?"

Locke had time to for a quick "thank you" for the clerk before he was pulled out of the chapel and back into the courthouse hallway. "I would say I feel like a million gold pieces..." He paused, puzzling over the correct terminology. "Is it still Miss Smith, or is it Mrs. now?"

"Mrs. Smith." Katarina tried to not look depressed about it, "Sound jist lik' my Ma. Er, maybe I'll go more towards th' Ms.," she stressed the "zzz" sound, "adds a bi' o' mystery, yanno?"

"Mizz Smith," Locke tried out for himself, drawing out the 'z' sound as well. "I like mystery. I also like confusing people." He was trying to walk as fast as he could back to the front entrance, so as not to keep the carriage driver waiting in the cold and snow.

"So lon' as yer nah confusin' me, tha' dun botha me any." Her long legs kept up with his quick stride until they made their way out front. Once again, they received many looks, both for the formal attire and lack of winter clothing. Spotting the open carriage, she made her way towards it, "Hope ya weren' waitin' ta lon'." When Locke tried to sutly direct her to look at the back of the carriage, she laughed warmly at the "Just Married" sign had been hung across the back. "Oh, how perfect!" A bright smile for the driver as he helped her up to a seat.

"Perish the thought," Locke said, as he stepped outside. He almost wished he had a top hat like the driver's, so that he could tip it to the passers-by who looked at him and Katarina with confusion. Instead, he just tipped an invisible hat for them and grinned brightly. The smile on Locke's face was a clear indication that he was quite proud he had thought of the sign.

Finally going up and taking her seat, she sent Locke a sidelong glance, "Kin only take so much subtlety, yeah?" She laughed a little more before leaning over and giving him a soft kiss when he was next to her.

"Of course. I think everyone deserves one day of stark-raving 'Here we are world, like it or not!' And here we are, world, like it or not, yes?" Locke giggled a bit at the kiss.

The driver looked over his shoulder and smiled at the newly-wed couple. "Where would you like me to take you?" he asked.

"Ya go' plans, melamin?" She brushed some snow off of her shoulder, "Thin' it migh' be a li'l early 'n this town ta go celebratin'. 'Less ya wanted ta show our pretty wares off, I dun thin' they're gonna hold up fer very lon' 'n th' snow." She pushed her curls over her shoulder, feeling some dampness there from the snow.

"Take us home, please, sir," Locke said to the driver, before leaning to rest against Katarina's shoulder for a moment. The driver whistled, and the white carriage, with its two happily married passengers, began its slow and triumphant journey back to New Haven.

"Allrigh' now." Katarina took a deep, long breath before tugging on Locke's hand to make him take a step back from the screen. "Let's nah git ou' o' control. <You know that Locke is right, Mrs. Taylor. I do know what you are saying, and you can be certain that I am not leaving, either. If you have something to share, you will say it to both of us. Now, I do not understand your anger. We have been engaged for two years. I am sorry that you find this to be a surprise, but we have done nothing to suggest that our engagement was not serious.>"

"<And yet, you eloped. You did not marry in a church. You did not invite your friends. You did not invite us.>" Raina had burned through her reserve of anger, leaving a more complex mix of disappointment and disapproval in her voice. "<How is that serious?">

"<Last I checked, the commitment is between Locke and myself, and not anyone else.>" Her own anger was slowly building, and despite her nanites, she could feel a bit of warmth as the anger colored her cheeks, "<I am not sure if you are very aware, but you are not very> gorram <supportive of anything that goes on with Locke, so forgive us if we're used to making our own decisions.>"

"Gorram?" Raina tripped over the unfamiliar word as she repeated it, trying to figure out the meaning.

"Damn, mother. Not very damn supportive. Roughly speaking."

"<How can she say that? I am your mother! I brought you here when our whole world was about to melt! I raised you, and you repaid me by becoming a hoodlum! By running away from home!>"

"<And I have apologized countless times for that, mother, but I am an adult, and have been so for many years, and those were childish mistakes. And before you even think about bringing up recent events...everyone else has forgiven me. Why can you not?>"

"<And while on the subject, I'm not going to tolerate you speaking about Locke like that. Not anymore. You have no idea how> bloody <hard he has tried to make things better with you. Tried and tried and tried. And even when he put himself in danger to save his brother, you barely acknowledged him. I sat in that hospital room, not you. So don't begin to start talking about support. We've offered you nothing but good news and you immediately found something negative.>"

Raina's frame shook with anger, as she alternated staring at Katarina with glances over to Locke, who had folded his arms across his chest and was clearly frowning. Raina finally just sighed, slumping into a nearby dining room chair. "<I do not think there is anything more for either of us to say.">

"<I'm sorry to hear that.>" And when Katarina took a moment to look past the anger, she was. "<Share the news with Mr. Taylor and Liam. When you're ready to work this out, call us. Until then? Don't.>" She reached out and ended the feed with a quiet huff.

Locke kept up the disapproving facade and folded arms until Katarina abruptly cut the feed off, before his mother could even look surprised at being hung up on. Even after Raina's face winked out, he was tense and numb, still looking at the screen like the answer to their dispute was somewhere on the black, blank glass.

Katarina squeezed Locke's hand before letting it go, "I'm sorry I go' so angry, bu' I meant every bi' o' it." She could still feel the flush on her cheeks, "I kin't tolerate someone treatin' you tha' way. It's nah righ' an' 'm nah gonna stay silent anymore. Your father and brother care fer ya an' support ya, there's no doubt 'n my mind 'bout it. Whether yer ma is eva gonna feel th' same, is up ta her. I've shared my bi', an' th' ball is 'n her cour'. Bu' there's no gorram way 'm lettin' tha' kinda negativity 'n wha' we hav' together."

She had let go of his hand, but he leaned over to rest his head on her shoulder anyway. He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry, or if he wanted to stomp over to the workout room and whale away on a punching bag until he burnt out all his rage. "I know," he whispered, the sound muffled against fabric and skin. "Thank you."

"No need ta get upset, melamin." She wrapped her arms tightly around him, "It hasn' changed a single thin'. Nah 'bout how she has felt 'bout thin's before now, an' nah afta." She brought his head up just enough so that she could rest her forehead against his, "Th' life ya hav', Locke? It's beautiful. Wit' or withou' me. Ya go' a kinda joy an' creativity tha' 've neva seen before. An' yer pas' experiences, an' all th' painful thin's, ar' a par' o' tha'."

Locke turned and shifted so that Katarina could rest her forehead against his, and so that he could look into her eyes. He still spoke quietly, but now his words were clear. "It may be beautiful, but you give it color. You make it that much more meaningful. And you make the good times so much better, and the painful things so much easier to overcome."

"Well, ain't tha' jist shiny, then?" She smiled warmly, and teased him with brushing her nose against his, "Cause I'm ratha attached ta yer life. Now, dun be upset an' dun giv' it space 'n yer head."

He giggled as her nose brushed his. "I won't. Between you and the Haberdashery, there is barely room for me to remember my own name, savvy? But I promise! I will not forget yours."

She laughed softly, and tried to ease the rest of her concern and his with a gentle kiss, "Me? Wha'cha mean between me 'n th' Haberdashery? Ar' ya sayin' tha' 'm needy?"

Caught! After the kiss, and after she spoke, he leaned back, trying his best to look apologetic. "That didn't quite come out the way it should have. Forgive me?" Locke fluttered his lashes for added effect.

She gave him a "hmm" and a long exhale as she studied his features, "Dun hav' much o' a choice wit' a face lik' tha', do I?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Locke spoke politely, with a schoolboy's innocent grin. He remembered the proverb about flies, vinegar, and honey, and was trying a liberal dose of the sweet stuff to get back in her good graces. Even if it only took a dollop.

"Yeah yeah. Bu' let's get thin's straight." She backed away from him with a single step, "Yer th' needy one." She tried to sneak away into the kitchen before she could laugh, and was failing.

"No argument here," he replied, hands held high in surrender as she stepped back into the kitchen. "But it's nice to be needed, isn't it?"

"In all th' bes' ways." She blew him a kiss to soothe any possible ruffled feathers, "Ya still hungry?" She felt a little bad for springing the call to his parents, but she also felt enormous relief.

"I am a tad peckish, melamin. At least dinner didn't go cold," he deadpanned, pretending at first not to notice the kiss she had blown his way.

She sent him a sidelong glace, and pressed her lips together so that she didn't laugh, "Righ', thank goodness fer tha'. Dunno if I could handle a col' dinner 'n top o' everythin' else."

"There is nothing I hate more than a dinner that has gone cold. Absolutely-" Before he could finish laying the sarcasm on thick, he broke into laughter. "Oh, let's- let's eat, before I can't stop myself from laughing anymore."

It was the best thing that Locke could have said. Her lips curled up with more than just amusement, "Well, then you set th' table, an' I'll brin' th' res' ou'."