Ever since she could remember, Veronica had every detail of her perfect wedding mapped out in her mind. Well, if she was being honest with herself, she actually had every detail of her life mapped out. But her wedding was something she had spent a lot of time thinking about, both as a little girl playing dress up to marry her prince charming, and as a young woman daydreaming about her latest boyfriend.
She had even gone so far as to create a scrapbook filled with her ideal flowers, dress, and location. Over the years, many things had changed in that book, including her choice in groom, except for one thing.
That was the song she wanted to have her first dance as a married woman.
She had a song for every occasion, sometimes two or three, so it was only fitting that she had her wedding song picked out by the tender age of ten. She was well aware that she and the man she would marry would probably have their own song that defined their relationship, but she felt like having a special wedding song on top of that would make her fantasy complete.
The thing Veronica never put into the equation was that she would be marrying the boy she dated for a good portion of her high school years, or that he would be just as stubborn and opinionated as she was, or that he would have his own special connection to music.
Archie Andrews was the current top Billboard artist, having millions of girls panting after him. Even though she'd often get jealous despite her will, she counted herself lucky that she had been the one to capture his heart, and she planned to never let go. It certainly helped that he had a pretty firm grasp on hers, as well.
On a first look, their relationship shouldn't have worked. He was this sweet innocent boy, and she was a stuck up diva. There was a lot of fighting and yelling, but there was also more passion and love than they had ever experienced with anyone else before. Somehow, despite their faults and their different personalities, they just worked.
This was why Veronica wasn't too concerned over their latest fight. She was just determined to win this one.
"Look Archie, i understand you want to have a say in our wedding, but you have to understand that i have a deep, personal connection to this song, and i've had it earmarked for my wedding since i was a little girl." Veronica explained, biting her lower lip. "I can't just let it go that easily."
She watched as her fiancée paced back and forth in front of her, subtly moving her precious wedding notes out of his sight.
"Would you listen to yourself for a second, Ronnie? This is our wedding, baby and i want to be in charge of the music." Archie said softly, keeping eye contact. "You're in charge of everything else."
Veronica took a moment to think about what he was saying. It wasn't a lie that she had left him very little to do, but she hadn't really considered the idea that he wanted to be involved. Weren't guys supposed to avoid wedding planning at all costs and leave everything to the bride? She had seen enough movies to know this was how things were supposed to go.
"I just don't understand why this is such a big deal to you. It's just one song."
Archie whirled towards her and knelt down in front of her, startling her with the intensity shining in his eyes.
"It's not just one song, baby. It's my chance to show you how i feel in front of all our family and friends. I want to pick our wedding song and i want to surprise you with it." Archie gave her a lopsided grin. "Please?"
Veronica felt her resolve crumble under the weight of the - insanely powerful - puppy eyes he was shooting her way, even though she'd never admit that out loud. She would mourn the loss of the perfect song, but she had to give this to him. She could see how much he meant what he said.
She could tell he knew the minute she whispered okay and nodded in agreement, because a beautiful smile split his lips and he launched himself forward to latch onto her mouth with his own.
"Now that we've settled that, let's celebrate with some make up sex!" Veronica could only laugh as she found herself slung over his shoulder and carted down the hallway to their bedroom, like some prize. She maybe didn't mind losing more often if this was what she'd get after all.
Not that she would ever tell him that.
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The next month found them finishing the perfect dinner at their reception, following their perfect wedding. Veronica knew the first dance was coming, and she was feeling her first nerves of the day. This was the only thing she hadn't been in control of, and while she trusted Archie, she also didn't necessarily like surprises.
Archie gave her a gentle kiss, before getting up and making his way towards the stage that was currently covered by the curtain. She saw him fiddle with something at the side. When he turned, she realized he had put on a microphone with a battery pack, like the ones they used for talk shows and the like.
Her anticipation reached the highest level as she tried to figure out what he had planned.
Archie walked to the nearest table and borrowed a glass and fork with a dashing smile, using the former to get everyone's attention and the latter to charm them into silence. He cleared his throat into the mic, and turned to face her, eyes as soft as they had been all night after they landed on his wife in her wedding dress.
"I hope you all are enjoying yourselves. At this time, i'd like to invite my beautiful bride to join me on the dance floor." Archie held out his hand as she approached, and tucked her into his side when she reached him. She was startled when he continued talking to their guests.
"When Veronica and i were discussing what song we would use for our first dance, we had a bit of a disagreement." Everyone who knew anything about the couple chuckled at this, and Archie offered them a small grin in response.
"Ronnie had her song picked out, but i knew that this was my opportunity to give her something on the most important day of our lives. So Ronnie, love of my life," She had tears in her eyes as he turned towards her and giggled as he continued, "This one's for you."
Veronica gasped as the curtains on the stage parted to reveal the band Archie used to record his albums, and went on tour with. The opening notes to her husband's choice of song started playing, and the tears that had welled in her eyes spilled over as she recognized the song. He had given her her wish after all.
She couldn't hold back the sob when instead of the original singer's voice, it was her husband's crooning to her as he swept her in to their first dance.
Kiss me, out of the bearded barley
Nightly, beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing, swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress
Oh, kiss me, beneath the milky twilight
Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon's sparkling
So kiss me
Veronica was sure her face was a mess, and she had forgotten half the steps as he finished out the song, but the love he had for her was so evident in his voice and eyes, and she also knew she couldn't love him more if she tried.
She also knew then that she was the luckiest girl on the planet, and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life as Mrs. Archie Andrews.
