Plans within Plans, January 2016

New York Winter’s were usually quite harsh and this one was no different. However he had Serena and that made all the difference. It might have been cold outside but at night it was decidedly hot and sweaty most of the time. And Peter didn’t mind that at all.

Living in the tower wasn’t all great. Their room was somewhat small and their privacy was limited. Bruce had come to live there and Thor was a frequent visitor these days as well. Lately the search for the Kree on Earth was ongoing but already they had caught several of them, including a few of the commanders though so far there had been no sign of Bron Char. Peter wanted him more than any other Kree and his hatred of him bordered on obsessive. Serena knew that Peter had been tortured by Bron but he hadn’t gone into how or how much either. Bron was extremely dangerous and what he lacked in intelligence he more than made up for in brawn and resilience.

For the most part peter let Serena drive the wedding plans. He was there when she wanted him to be. The cake tasting, the floral arrangements and the selection of the venue. Luckily they both agreed to do the ceremony and the reception at the New York Public Library. It was old with high ceilings and marble floors. It was spacious enough for everyone and when made up they both knew it would be perfect for who they were as a couple. It wasn’t cheap but Peter insisted that they paid for everything though Tony had ‘tried’ to ‘donate’ to their wedding funds without success.

This year it was Serena’s 24th birthday. Peter wanted to do something special for it but he wasn’t sure what. When it came to him he had to talk to both Tony and Isabella about if it was possible and they both loved the idea. It meant demoing on of the bedrooms but they never hardly used the 3 on the far side of the main floor so it wasn’t that big of a deal for them to do this for her. Keeping it all a secret though was going to be the real trick. Serena was a curious sort but they covered it well by revamping all of the guest rooms that were presently unoccupied.

Construction workers were almost always there now and ‘special’ deliveries had to be scheduled when they knew she’d be out of the tower. Certain items if seen would give it all away and the closer they got to completion, the more paranoid all three of them became to getting caught. Peter and Serena patrolled together every third evening. Bruce and Steve and Tony and Isabella made up the other nights and each patrol locale originated where reports of the Kree were the most profound. This last patrol had them getting back at just over 2am.

The date of the wedding was coming up fast. Serena was excited and couldn’t wait to actually be married to Peter. They had been waiting so long for this and she was incredibly happy with him. She just hoped she could make Peter as happy as he had made her. Her parents had tried to pay for the wedding, but Serena and Peter wanted to do it themselves. However, they did agree to use the island for their Honeymoon.

Serena knew that something was up when she started seeing construction workers in the Tower, but everyone refused to tell her what was going on. She finally just stopped asking. Her birthday was coming up, but she was so focused on the wedding that she hadn’t made any birthday plans. She figured she and Peter would go out to dinner, but didn’t think anything else would happen.

When she wasn’t planning the wedding, she and Peter were out patrolling the streets and looking for any Kree that had escaped. Serena knew that something had happened to Peter, but he didn’t want to talk about it so she didn’t push him. It had been a long night and she was exhausted as they made it back to the Tower.

“I can’t wait for our Honeymoon. Two weeks of relaxation and it’s going to be warm.”

“Uh yeah. Relaxation sounds great. And warm to. I think I left a few of my toes back there,” he said but he certainly wasn’t thinking that. ‘The anything you want, anywhere you want’ comment made him nearly shiver whenever he thought about that. No having to muffle themselves...oh he was going to enjoy their honeymoon alright. He’d need to make certain Serena got plenty of rest in between the hot, crazy sex he was going to have with her. He felt his cheeks warming already...as well as ‘other’ things and yet he yawned just then as soon as the warmth from the tower hit him.

“I’m going to hit the hot tub I think,” he said as he yawned a second time. “Warm up a little first,” he said as he headed straight for their room. This late at night the construction crews were gone but the rooms were all locked up after they left. Supposedly so that nothing is disturbed while they were away. An unstable work area didn’t need people coming in only to get hit with board or impale themselves with a nail.

Inside their room he began to peel off his suit. He had his white boxer shorts underneath and he moved into the bathroom and took up his towel and put on his black flip flops. “You can invite Gambit you know...and anyone else from the Mansion,” he said as he hung up his suit. He wasn’t looking at her though when he said that. He wasn’t certain he wanted to be looking at her. He knew she’d never truly be over Gambit but he took it as something that just ‘was’ and not something he had to combat in their relationship. In that way it wasn’t a point of contention for them. He wasn’t jealous by nature and if he didn’t trust her by now he didn’t think he’d be marrying her.

Serena decided she wanted to join Peter in the hot tub. She got out her bathing suit and began to put it on. She shook her head when Peter said it would be alright if she invited Gambit to the wedding. “I want the wedding to be just family and close friends.” She looked at Peter and then walked around to stand in front of him. She took his hands into hers and she looked into his eyes. “I love you Peter and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my best friend and soul mate. You are the man I’m meant to be with. My life would be empty without you in it.”

Peter leaned in and kissed Serena on the lips. When she spoke like that it made his spine tingle. Half dressed as she was he felt her up against him. “Why dont we just skip the suits tonight,” he whispered in her ear. “Everyone is sleeping,” he said. Serena had a way if warming him up with just her voice and how she touched him, like she was doing now. And her sincerity made his throat go tight. “You always make me wonder how I ever deserved you Serena Stark,” he said and kissed her again.

Serena grinned when Peter suggested they go without suits. She took his hand and together they went to the hot tub.

Three days later it was her birthday. Serena was asleep in their bed when she suddenly smelled pancakes and bacon. She smiled as she got up and got dressed. She walked out and saw balloons and flowers and wrapped gifts piled on a table. Everyone else was up and there, including Bruce Banner and Thor. When she walked in everyone turned and yelled ‘Happy Birthday!’ Serena blushed and smiled happily.

“You all didn’t have to do all of this.”