CLANDESTINE : Spencer Reid

49

Stéphane sobs while walking Caro down the aisle. He full-on cries, ugly tears, before letting her go to join Cletus at the altar. Bastien and I peer at each other past the lines of bridesmaids and groomsmen between us, a knowing silent laugh at our emotional brother. The ceremony is not as long as the traditional Catholic ceremony, but the vows are still religious and tedious. They both say a few words about how much they love each other. Bastien wipes away a single tear, and glares at me when I have to cover my mouth to avoid laughing.

Then, we all take photos. Cocktail hour is largely reserved to standing in lines on the grounds and in the barn. Stéphane gets called in for a few shots of just us as a family, and then we do some as a merged family. The crowd starts to smell of floral perfume notes and musk and sweat and I try just to focus on the high-pitched click of the camera's shutter.

We only have a few moments before we are forced to walk in. Caro and Cletus are taken off for private photos, and I talk to my brothers.

"So, Bastien has to tell Caro about our gift during the sibling dance," Stéphane lays out the plan for the rest of us. "They'll be loads of pictures going on then, and it's probably the best time for the reaction."

We all nod. We've agreed to give her five thousand dollars, with Bastien and I pitching in two grand each since we have more money. We also bought her a necklace. Well, I picked it out since I don't trust my brothers with jewellery, but Stéphane paid for it since he pitched in less overall.

"Do you have the necklace?" Bastien looks at me.

I look down at myself, "Seb, where would I-"

"I have it," Stéphane digs into his pocket, pullingout the small container. He passes it to Bastien. "Do not lose it, okay?"

"Absolutely, papa," Bastien rolls his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Don't step on her train," I tell Bastien. "The zipper broke and they had to sew part of her dress today and if anything else goes wrong with it, she might snap."

"The dessert also hasn't arrived," Stéphane says. "The wedding planner told me. So, Cole, don't announce it at the end of your speech unless I give you the thumbs-"

"Why would I?"

"Well, you're the last speech to go," Stéphane says.

"I thought I was first!" I sigh. "Traditionally, the father of the bride-"

"Well, Cletus' best man is already three drinks in and none of us have eaten since seven this morning, so we want to get him first in case he gets progressively drunk over dinner," Stéphane says.

"Also, there's been an issue with the hotel room Cletus' parents booked," Bastien says. He looks at me. "With your FBI money, you get something nice?"

"Yeah, they can take it," I tell him. "Reid should've checked in a while ago. Just have them take his keycard, we can drive back."

"Why can't you have him do that?" Bastien asks.

"Caro asked me to help her go the bathroom," I tell him. "She's sewn into the dress and so it's going to take three bridesmaids to help her pee. And that's if the train cooperates, which I've already mentioned the problem. Can one of you handle that while I deal with her?"

"I can," Stéphane offers. "And I'll see if I can find out about dessert early, so I don't have to signal you during your speech."

He puts a hand in the middle of the three of us. Bastien puts his on top of Stéphane's, and I go on top. We count down to three and raise our hands, going our separate ways.