May 8th, 2025

Quentin

Today was one of the best days of my life. In front of me was the love of my life. Scarlett Rose Campbell was not like other women. I meant that literally, since she was an anthropomorphic red fox that was truthfully genetically human. Despite the description, she was gorgeous, at least to my eyes. Her bright blue eyes and medium-length reddish hair were dazzling features that carried over from her human self. She was wearing an elegant white wedding dress. She was the same height as me, not counting the two foxlike ears. She had the wedding veil over her face.

“I know it’s unprofessional, but I’ll like to invite the parents of the couple to come forth and speak on their behalf,” the priest in charge of the wedding announced before stepping aside. Or rather pastor since he was Scarlett’s pastor that she reconnected with. He was shockingly accepting of the fact that she was changed into a beastwoman, saying that she wasn’t a beast but a woman. Therefore, according to his interpretation, the marriage would be valid.

My father was the first to step up. He got onto a podium and spoke into the microphone. “Thank you for letting me speak on behalf of Quentin Alexander Smith. I’m Thomas Smith, the father of the groom. Quentin is a good man. He’s diligent and a planner. He cares for those close to him. One time, when his younger brother got into a car crash, he was worried all night, hoping his brother would be okay. When he was finally told that the crash was low speed, he sighed in relief. And according to the story that he told everyone, he risked his life to save a friend of his from slavery. If that doesn’t speak of his character, I don’t know what will.” With that said, he walked down before letting my mother walk up.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Madilyn Phillips Smith. I’m the groom’s mother,” my mother announced to the assembled crowd. I was fortunate to have this be a private wedding with only Scarlett’s extended family and mine in attendance along with our friends. “Quentin can be the handful sometimes. He makes some unfunny jokes and makes one too many pop culture references, but he’s a good man. I have a hard time processing that he’s now twenty-six years old with a full-time job and a wife after today. But I’m glad for him and hope for the best.”

She walked off the podium to be followed by Scarlett’s parents. Mrs. Campbell spoke first. “Hello everyone. I’m Cassandra Vaught Campbell. I’m the mother of Scarlett Rose Campbell. While we do not look alike, she’s our daughter. She’s the same girl I remembered from when she was last with us. She’s cunning and brave. It’s kept in check by her good heart. Though I must say, I feel sorry for Quentin. It’ll be challenge for him to keep up with his future wife.” She stepped aside to let Mr. Campbell get the microphone.

He was a shell of his former self. Emaciated, bald, and weak, there wasn’t much for him to do but die. His cancer had reached the final stages and he was in hospice care. Yet he decided to visit the wedding. He coughed before saying, “Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I am Samuel Arnold Campbell, father of Scarlett. As I near the end of my time on this Earth, I’d like to reflect on my daughter.” He looked at Scarlett and started to cry. “Only a year ago, I believed my daughter was lost forever. She was abducted by aliens and theorized to be as good as dead. While she doesn’t look human anymore, she’s still the same girl on the inside. But now my daughter is a woman who’s moving on with her life. She didn’t let her new vulpine appearance get the better of her.”

He looked at his daughter and continued, “Scarlett, you are destined for great things. You shine brighter than you once did. You’ll make a great leader. I just hope you’ll have children someday. Perhaps those children can hear stories of their grandfather who passed before them.” He then looked at me and said, “Quentin, you’ll make a great father. You just need to remember to think with this sometimes.” He pointed to his heart before looking back at the crowd. “I give my blessing to this union. Let all know that today, two families will be joined. Two heroes of an unknown journey.”

With those words, Mr. Campbell leaned into his wife and limped his way back to his wheelchair. They returned to their seats, allowing the pastor to finish the ritual. He read some passages from the Bible before looking at me and Scarlett. He looked at me and asked, “Quentin, do you take Scarlett Rose Campbell as your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” I answered without hesitation.

He looked at Scarlett and asked, “Scarlett, do you take Quentin Alexander Smith as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” she reverently answered.

He stepped back and said, “It’s time for you to exchange your vows and rings.”

I looked at Scarlett and said, “I, Quentin Alexander Smith, swear on my honor and by God to be faithful to you. In sickness and in health, through the many challenges in life and until my dying breath. I’ll always love you, Scarlett.” I placed my ring on her ring finger on her right hand.

She smiled back at me and pulled the veil back. She took a deep breath before proclaiming, “I, Scarlett Rose Campbell, swear by God to be faithful to you. Through sickness or health, poverty or wealth, the good times and the bad, and whether here on Earth or across the galaxy. I will always love you, even until the day I die. And since death is not the end, I’ll find you in heaven and be with you there. Quentin, I now believe we were fated to be together. I hereby swear my sacred vow.” She then took her ring and placed it on my right ring finger.

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The pastor placed his hand on his Bible and announced, “By the power vested in me, I proclaim the two of you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

With his statement, I planted a kiss on Scarlett’s lips. She kissed me back as the crowd cheered. The pastor looked at the crowd and announced, “I’m pleased to introduce everyone to Mr. and Mrs. Smith!” He read the paper before saying, “Actually, it seems that the two of them are going to keep their last names, officially going by the name Campbell-Smith for legal matters. While it bucks tradition, I’m sure it’ll work out.”

After some traditions like tossing the bouquet, I bridal carried Scarlett into a limo. It drove to a ballroom where the reception was held. Luxurious catered food was on display, showcasing the wealth of the Campbell family. The place was well lit with plenty of tables and chairs. There was a punch bowl along with some wine for the adults.

As the crowd filed in, Scarlett and I took seats at the head of the central table. The rest of our immediate families sat at the central table while extended relatives and friends sat at the others. Once everyone was seated, I stood up and raised a wine glass. “To Mr. Samuel Campbell, the man responsible for this feast! The man who has become a second father to me!” I announced, causing everyone else to lift their glasses. “May heaven prepare to greet you, father-in-law!”

My father-in-law stood up and held his hands out. “You speak too highly of me, son. While I have funded the feast, I need no praise. I am just a man, a fact I was reminded of not too long ago. Though I feel the flame of life dying, my only regret was that it took my diagnosis to be humble,” he replied before announcing, “To Quentin and Scarlett, the future of our families!” Everyone toasted to that before sipping their wine.

Despite the fact that I said we all had wine glasses, Scarlett and I only had punch. She committed herself to not drink while I was scarred by the circumstances around my abduction. It was very possible that I was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. Anyways, once we all had our glasses, we were each given a serving of chicken-fried steak and baked potatoes along with fried okra. Healthy it was not, but it was delicious. Scarlett claimed it was to remember her Georgian heritage, but I had a feeling it was because it tasted better than the finger foods typically served at weddings. I had to agree. I’d rather have a meal than a snack.

Once we were done with the main course, a wedding cake was wheeled in. To my pleasant surprise, I could see that the figure meant to represent Scarlett was custom-made to resemble her vulpine appearance rather than a normal human woman. Speaking of her, she was the one to cut the cake and hand out slices. It was good, but it didn’t justify the price tag. To be fair, the price was probably from the art piece rather than the taste itself.

The reception ended with us opening the presents. And to be honest, it was disappointing. Yes, a toaster, slow-cooker, or an air fryer are good, but what was the point of getting seven toasters. At a certain point, someone needed to realize that someone else already got it.

Once we were done with the presents, we chatted with our in-laws. The Campbell family seemed very distant. Other than Scarlett’s direct family, the others were all on her mother’s side, but showed no interest in either of us. For some reason, her father’s side didn’t have any living relatives. Scarlett, meanwhile, looked like she was amused by my extended family. I decided to listen in since it gave me something to do.

“Scarlett, why do you look like a fox?” one of my cousins asked as she touched my wife’s hands.

My wife shook her head and said, “The Qarri. They experimented on me and turned me into what you see before you. But rest assured, I’m still human on the inside. And I mean it. Several doctors examined me and said that my anatomy is practically identical to a human’s. It’s just my appearance that’s different.”

The cousin giggled as she looked at Scarlett. “You’re pretty. I hope to be as pretty as you one day!” she said as she looked on.

Scarlett gave a sad smile as she replied, “Thank you. I’m pretty sure you’ll be beautiful when you get older. You won’t look like me, but that’s for the better.” My cousin smiled before returning to playing tag. Scarlett looked at me and said, “Your family is nicer than I expected. They readily accepted me. One of your aunts even tried to get me into some reality-TV show.”

I chuckled and said, “That’s Aunt Bridget! Always going on about some show that no one with a life cares about.”

We finished up the conversations before walking back to the limo waiting for us. We stepped in and rode all the way back to my house.

Ever since I started working at my job, I earned enough money to afford a two-story townhouse with a manicured lawn. It was large enough to accommodate a family if I ever had one. And with how my life had turned around, I felt that it was going to become reality. Though she wasn’t too confident, I was sure that Scarlett would make a great mother when the time came. We could take turns watching the kids while the other was at work, or perhaps make a childcare arrangement work.

The limo stopped, allowing me to step out and walk around to Scarlett’s side. I opened the door as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Then, in one fluid motion, I picked her up in a bridal carry and spun around to face our house. “Welcome to my former bachelor pad. It’s now the Campbell-Smith Residence. I could’ve named it the Smith-Campbell Residence, but I think the other way around sounds better,” I announced as I carried her up to the door. I opened it up and carried her in.

Once we were in the living room, I sat her down on the couch and walked back to close the door. She cleared her throat and replied, “It doesn’t matter what its official name is. As for me, I’ll call it home.” She took off her shoes and looked at me with the biggest smile her vulpine face could make. “I’m just really glad that I’m having a life I thought was stolen away from me. I’m heir to my father’s business, married to the love of my life, and free to walk the streets without fear of being captured for scientific experiments.”

I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her. “Scarlett,” I said with a smile as I looked into her eyes, “you’re safe.” My smile faded to a frown as I sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m concerned about the state of this country. General Morris is President Harrington’s puppet master. I fear that democracy’s coma will turn into its death. Should Harrington be replaced with another puppet, that’s when we can tell if it’s dead.”

“I fear that too,” Scarlett said as she turned on the TV. “But we need to have hope. Without that, the world falls apart.”