Epilogue
Buster fidgeted nervously in the antechamber. He ran his paws along his formal uniform jacket to get the wrinkles out of it. For the biggest moment of his life he wanted everything to look perfect.
He yelped as the door opened. Turning, he saw Spot in his formal uniform. “Need a paw?” Spot asked.
“I might need you to carry me up there. How many guests are there going to be?”
“Fifty thousand,” Spot said and Buster had to grab the wall to keep from fainting. “Plus a few billion watching the broadcast.”
Buster collapsed onto a cushion. “Dog save me.”
“Hey, come on, it won’t be so bad. Just remember why you’re doing this.”
Buster nodded and thought of Whiskers. He imagined how beautiful she would look on the dais and the love in her eyes. “I guess you’re right. Do you have the ring?”
Spot reached into his jacket and pulled out a black felt box. Inside were two gold bands. They were far less ornate than the jewelry Whiskers already owned, but Buster wanted at least one tradition from Batpooh State in the ceremony. He wanted to be able to slide that ring on her finger as a symbol of their eternal bond.
A gong sounded from down the hallway. Buster felt a nervous flutter in his stomach. “That means it’s time, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Spot said. “Unless you’re having second thoughts.”
Buster thought of Whiskers again. He thought of when he had first seen her on the landing platform, their trip to the mall, their first kiss in the trees, and everything that had happened since then. “No second thoughts.”
“Then let’s go.” Spot took Buster’s arm and then hauled him upright. They walked slowly down a hallway from the antechamber, into the main chamber of the church. It was a Cat church, with a statue of Cat towering over a crystal dais gilded around the edges with gold. Queen Smokey sat atop the dais on a cushion, Lady Isis at her side in case she faltered.
Buster leaned against Spot for support as he marched up to the dais. He kept his eyes on it, not wanting to see the throng assembled behind him. Seats had been crammed into every possible location so that the guests could be accommodated. No one wanted to miss this historic ceremony, the first-ever marriage of a Cat and a Dog.
Another gong sounded and Buster had no choice but to turn around and face the crowd. Spot caught him before he fainted away at the sight of it. It seemed everyone in the Bloc and Cattatonia was here.
Most of the rows had been divided with Cats on the left and Dogs on the right. Other than Cassie and Captain Morgana, Buster didn’t recognize anyone on the left. In the front row on the right, though, he recognized Nina, her two new puppies Carly and Lisa, and their father Admiral Barker. Beneath his dress uniform pants, the admiral’s legs were sheathed in silver from the robotic implants Dr. Ruff had designed to allow Admiral Barker to walk again. The admiral smiled and nodded to Buster.
Farther down he saw Jake, Jonathan, and his father. The latter had been the hardest to convince into coming on the grounds of the wedding being held on Cattatonia, but Buster Sr. had finally relented when Buster promised they would have a smaller ceremony in Batpooh State later.
Even President Bear was present at the end of the row with his security. Among that security, wearing a nondescript suit was Dodger. He leaned down to whisper something into the president’s ear. President Bear nodded at whatever it was and then leaned over to Jonathan, who winked at Buster.
“It’s time for me to go,” Spot whispered into Buster’s ear. “Makes me glad you married us on Sirius Five.”
Buster nearly burst out laughing as his best friend sat down in the front row next to the former Marshy Ruff, now Marshy Mutt. Spot put an arm around her shoulder and then patted her bulging belly with one paw. It wouldn’t be long until she too had a litter of puppies. After the battle of Sirius Five, Buster had presided over Spot and Marshy’s impromptu wedding. Given the choice Buster would have done the same, but he couldn’t. His wedding was a matter of state—of two states.
A flourish of horns sounded. Buster came to attention as everyone in the church stood. There were so many in the church that Buster couldn’t see her at first. Maybe she had changed her mind?
Then she glided into view. She wore a gown that was somehow even whiter than her fur. The train extended behind her for twenty meters, three kittens holding up the end of it. She wore an elaborate headdress like those on the statues of the palace. But he could still see her eyes as she approached and see the love still in them.
At last she reached the altar and took his paw in hers. He didn’t remember anything about the ceremony until she kissed him. It was just a short kiss for in public, but the first of many as husband and wife.
They marched paw-in-paw out of the church, horns sounding in their wake. Buster saw his friends and family applauding him, cheering him on. It seemed to take forever to get out of the church. But when they finally reached the doors, he saw what President Bear and Dodger had been whispering about.
A transport waited for them at the bottom of the steps. Someone had written, “Just Married” on the side and back of it. Buster laughed and then kissed Whiskers. “Did you know about this?” he asked.
“Let’s go,” she whispered into his ear.
“Where?” he asked.
“Wherever we want. The universe is ours.”
[END]
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