WHO: Amelia Bones, Mary Bones, & Joshua Bones
WHAT: Breaking the news to her parents
WHEN: November '78
WHERE: Bones residence

"WHAT?!"

Amelia winced visibly at the shocked unison voices of Joshua and Mary Bones. Her father threw his chair back a couple feet as he shot to his feet and she was sure that her mother would have done the same did it not look like she was just going to faint back into it anyway. It wasn't like she had broken her news harshly with them, it was just.. there was really no easy way to put it. And it wasn't like she wasn't prepared for this either, because she always knew that her parents would be different to tell than her brothers and cousins, she was just.. oi, well actually, she didn't know what she was, had kind of lost any recollection of what she was since about noon the day before when she'd said yes to the most impromptu proposal in the history of ever.

"I said... I got married." She took a deep breath and smiled timidly up at her father (looking at her mother just made her feel guilty), feeling like she was a little girl all over again rather than a self-sufficcent, independent 28-year-old woman. "Yesterday afternoon at city hall, with Mellie and his brother as witnesses and I know, I know it's crazy, but it's hard to explain why, he just--oh, fuck, his name is Berkeley Doge, by the way, I should have told you that first, but anyway--he just asked me and I just said yes and--oh, oh please don't look at me like that, Mum."

"Well then tell me how I should look at you, Mia!" Mary's voice was loud but tearful (and to be honest, her daughter was surprised that she hadn't started sobbing yet) and Amelia felt horrible, but her face continued to show unwavering determinaton. She could feel bad about her mum being upset without feeling bad about having gotten married. "How would you look at your daughter if she came to you saying that she'd just bloody--run off and gotten eloped to a man you'd barely even heard of before! That you wouldn't get to be at her wedding because she'd already had it and--and--"

Mary stopped, looking up to see her husband's hand on her shoulder. To Amelia's surprise, he looked a great deal more composed than he had a couple minutes ago, although she could still feel the frustration and shock radiating off of him. He was doing that coping thing he always did, when something like this came along and he needed to be a voice of sanity because he knew that his family would need someone to be. She couldn't have been more thankful for it than she was now, because Amelia knew that she wasn't going to get very far with trying to calm her mother down herself.

And... at least when he was coping he wasn't going to yell at her.

"I hope you're at least planning to bring this... Berkeley" --he rolled the name around on his tongue as if truly contemplating whether or not he liked the sound of it-- "... and his family over to meet us."

"Oh--well, yeah, definitely!" Amelia sat up a little straighter, feeling more confident now that there was finally some semblance of an even tone coming back at her. "I would have brought him over before, but it was all just so--well, you know, there was no time to think, but... But don't worry, we're going to introduce our families as soon as possible, I promise. I mean, I haven't met his parents either, if it makes you feel better."

"I wasn't at my only daughter's wedding, that hardly makes me feel better!" her mother wailed (now she really was crying, oy) from her chair. Joshua squeezed her shoulder and she went silent again. Amelia thought for a moment that she should mention that she had two brothers who would be getting married soon (yes, two; Jonathan just didn't know it yet) whose weddings she could go to, but that would have probably only depressed her more to think of. She wouldn't bring that up, not with the way she'd cried when Edgar broke the news of his engagement.

It probably felt like she was losing all her children at once, and Amelia understood that more than Mary thought. She had been more than conscious of her status within the Bones family as the girl that was going to be single for life.

"Love, I'm sure that Amelia and Berkeley" --he was saying it that way again, still measuring what he thought of his mysterious new son-in-law-- "are intending upon having a nice ceremony for their family to attend. Right, Mia?"

The truth was that there had been no talk of any such thing at all, but she couldn't help but nod with the look her father was giving her. It clearly said 'say yes or you're dead.' "I... right, yeah. Of course, I mean... right. Still got to have my princess moment, don't I?"

Mary wiped at her eyes and looked up with a brilliant smile that seemed to come out of nowhere and almost frightened Amelia. "Really, Mia? You're going to--oh, goodness, of course you're going to, I should have known you wouldn't just--oh whatever, just... come here, you're married!" With a small squeal, she stood and enveloped her daughter in a tight hug, the likes of which both relieved and worried her. Awkwardly, she returned the hug, patting her mother's back slowly.

Oh Merlin, either Berk was going to die laughing, or this was going to be the shortest marriage in history.