SATURDAY

Amy awoke suddenly, yet without making any moves of startlement. It seemed right to be awake. There was none of the momentary confusion that always accompanied the transition to wakefulness, no groping for alertness. Today, her inner voice told her, is my hanging day.

She felt an energy coursing through her she had never experienced before, and an intense awareness of everything around her. The warmth of still-sleeping Scott's body against her, his arms holding her. The crispness of the bedsheets. The brightness of the sunlight streaming in from the window, illuminating the currently bare top of the dresser, as promised. The almost subliminal hum of sixty-cycle electric current that she realized was coming from the alarm clock on the bedside table, its digital display red. Redder than red. Six forty-five.

She hadn't moved, but perhaps Scott's sleeping mind had sensed the change in her breathing pattern. His eyes came open partway, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. A whispered, "Morning, Mrs. Smith."

She tightened her arms around him and kissed him, rubbing her body against him. Not in invitation to something more intense. Just wanting to feel him.

Scott broke off the kiss, his smile now quizzical. "There's something about your eyes."

She smiled back. "What about my eyes?"

He thought a moment, then gave her a small shrug. "Just somehow, I don't know... brighter."

She gave him a squeeze. What Runner had seen two days ago was now visible to anyone who looked. "Well, you know. Big day today."

He was startled by a sudden tap at the door. Amy was not. With her heightened awareness, she had heard the soft steps approaching on the hallway carpet.

Matty's voice, very soft. "Mister Calvin? Mistress Amy? Do you want your breakfast now?"

Scott's eyebrows went up. "Ummm... You mean in here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Uhhh... sure." He looked at Amy and shrugged. Obviously this wasn't the usual thing.

The door opened, and Matty and Sharon entered, each with a tray. Scott and Amy, looking at each other with a simultaneous giggle, pushed themselves up to a sitting position and put their pillows behind their backs, upright against the headboard. Amy, as she let the bedsheet settle across her lap, considered for a moment the propriety of showing her bare breasts to near-strangers, uninvited, as a guest in the house, but remembered suddenly she was a member of the family now. Matty and Sharon were, in a sense, her own slaves, odd as the notion seemed to her, having just discarded her own slavery of four years' standing less than twenty-four hours ago.

The two slavegirls waited patiently as their master and mistress rearranged themselves, then set the trays, each supported on short legs at the corners, over their laps.

Scott said to Sharon, "This my dad's idea?"

She shook her head briefly, and gave him a small smile. "No, sir. We thought you might like it. Mister Benjamin did tell us the caterers were coming at eight, and we thought you'd probably want to eat before that."

"Oh! Right. And thank you, this is really nice."

Matty and Sharon both said, not quite together, "Thank you, sir." Amy choked back a giggle as the thought crossed her mind that Holly and Haley would have been perfectly synchronized.

Amy was amused by her breakfast -- a sugary kids' cereal, blueberries, some sweet rolls, and chocolate milk, in contrast with Scott's more normal scrambled eggs, girlmeat bacon, buttered toast, and orange juice. Women frequently stoked up on sugar in the last weeks before being snuffed and cooked, in hopes of making their meat sweeter, but Amy couldn't imagine a single last meal making a noticeable difference. She ended up trading parts of her breakfast with Scott, so that their meals ended up nearly identical.

As she ate, she asked, "So what's the schedule? All I know about now is the caterers."

"Well, there's also a wedding coach, who's going to show your friends, and mine, the ones participating, what they're supposed to do." He laughed. "The guys, my friends -- on their invitations it said get here by ten. I didn't say why, though. Oh! And a photographer is coming, at about nine. I wanted some pics of you, and of us together. Could you put on that same outfit as yesterday? I really like that."

"I've got one like it in my bag, that's fresher. The girls were talking about a wedding dress. Don't you want me in that?"

"Of course, but you can change into that later."

"This guy knows he can't photograph my hanging, right?"

"Girl. Yeah, in fact, she'll be leaving before that."

"When do the guests get here?"

"The invitations said noon. I was thinking we'd try to hang you around three -- does that give you enough time to get ready, after we spend some time with the guests?"

She nodded. "I won't be cooked until kind of late, then. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, the invitations say dinner will be at about eight. So everybody knows."

She grinned suddenly. "This is so great! I just still can't believe... well, I'm just really happy to have something unique. I don't think any Hanging Girl ever went out this way. Thank you." She kissed him, and went on for a time, alternating thank-yous and kisses.

She saw the time on his watch. "We'd better shower and get dressed. Come on." She set her tray aside, jumped out of bed and extended her hand, to pull him along with her. She could read a slight disappointment that they hadn't made love once more, though he hid it well. We've done it in bed enough, sweetie, she thought. I've got something else planned.

The shower was easily big enough for the two of them. Amy used her hands to spread soap over his body, while he did the same for her. She smiled as she saw his erection growing. I'd better get to that now, she told herself.

Kneeling, she stroked it with wet hands for a time, then opened her mouth and took it in, alternately sucking deeply and licking. After an initial gasp, he grinned down at her. "What do you think you're doing, Mrs. Smith?"

She let him slip out of her mouth long enough to say, using the seductive purr she'd avoided earlier, "Making memories." She began sucking again, hearing his moan as the warm water cascaded over both of them.

The grounds behind the Smith house bustled with activity, mainly involving the caterers, whose truck was parked now beside the hanging stage. Scott, holding Amy's hand as she closed her eyes and slowly took in a deep lungful of fresh air, dry, cool but soon to be warming, sweetly floral-scented, said to her, "Remind... No, sorry, honey. You've got enough to think about. I need to remember to tell them to move that truck out of the area before the guests start showing up."

Amy rubbed up against him and brushed her cheek on his shoulder. "I'm imagine they've done this before, sweetie." She smiled at the sight of her three friends, splashing in the pool again some distance away.

Amy turned to look at the hanging stage, her eyes fixing on the heavy rope hanging from the horizontal beam above the stage. She had only meant to glance at it and then return her attention to Scott, but it held her attention magnetically. It's for me, she repeated to herself, it's for me! Ever since the day she had stood, entranced, watching Miranda hang, Amy's life had been pointed towards this one special day. She felt a quivering energy pour through her body.

With an almost audible grunt, she turned away. I can get caught up in that excitement later, she promised herself. There's something else happening now, something I never imagined I'd participate in, she reminded herself -- my own wedding party! And that's something to be shared with Scott. I want him always to remember every second of today.

She felt a renewed gush of love for him, remembering how much he was sacrificing for this. My dream comes first in his mind, she told herself. He's giving so much of himself to make this perfect for me. I want it to be perfect for him.

Her arms seemed to enfold themselves around him automatically, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Her voice husky, near tears, she said, "I love you."

His arm circled her waist, his cheek rubbing the top of her head. "I love you, Amy. I'll say it first, next time."

She giggled. "Nope, I'll beat you to it every time."

A slightly sleepy-but-friendly looking woman with an expensive camera approached. She smiled. "I'm Jessica. Your girl... ummmm, Matty, let me in. Do you want me to get some pics now?"

Over the next several minutes, Jessica took photos in various poses -- one with Scott and Amy standing beside each other looking at the camera, one with them facing each other looking lovingly into each other's eyes, one of Amy and Benjamin, one of Amy, Scott, and Benjamin, one of Amy alone, holding a bouquet of flowers in front of her waist, her head in a slight playful tilt to the side. Jessica suggested Amy get up onto the stage, and took a shot of Amy, her right arm upraised with her fingers wrapped around the noose as she beamed at the camera.

After hopping down from the stage, Amy suddenly heard a distant shout, "Amy!" and moments later the pounding of feet as Melissa, Jana, and Runner sprinted over, all un-self-consciously naked -- Runner least self-conscious of all -- Melissa stopping suddenly about ten feet away, her arms out to signal the others to hold back, and saying, "I'm sorry, you're in the middle of something. We can..."

"Oh!" Amy turned Jessica. "Can we get one of the four of us?" She looked at Scott. "Is that okay, sweetie?"

He grinned. "Sure. Ummm... You mean like they are?"

Amy laughed. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Scott choked back a laugh. "Uhhh, no, that's fine."

It took a few minutes for Amy to direct them where she wanted them, all of them next to her, with no one hidden behind anyone else. She ended up with Melissa on her left and Jana on her right, her arms around their waists, while Runner sat cross-legged on the ground in front of her, her head resting against Amy's inner thigh, her arm wrapped around Amy's leg, hand resting on Amy's outer thigh.

Runner looked up at her uncertainly. "What do I do, Amy?"

Amy suddenly realized that, though Runner had seen any number of photographs, she'd never had her own picture taken before. Amy pointed. "That's the camera she's holding right there. That's what makes the picture. Just look right at it, and smile like it's a really close friend."

Runner grinned back. "I'll pretend it's you." She beamed at the camera.

Amy asked Jessica, "Is the lighting a problem? They're all kind of... reflective." The girls were all still wet from the pool.

Jessica shook her head. "Not a problem. On three..." Melissa tilted her head against Amy, and Jana put her arm across Amy's back and pressed her hip against Amy's. Jessica counted, and pressed the button.

As Jessica lowered the camera, Runner looked up at Amy again. "Did she do it?"

Amy smiled at her. "Yeah, it's done." She looked at Jessica. "Is there any way we can see that now?"

Jessica nodded. "Sure." The camera, storing all of the images digitally, had a small printer on the side. She pressed a few buttons, and a wide, flat tongue of stiff paper issued from the slot. Jessica took it and handed it to Amy, as Runner scrambled to her feet.

As Amy held it, Runner stood transfixed, staring at it, her lips pressed together, her eyes unblinking.

Amy, though conscious of Runner's superiority in reading body language, had no trouble reading Runner's. She looked at Jessica. "Is there any way she could keep that..." She looked at Scott, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask. I know this is costing you more money."

Scott started, "It's not a big..." but was interrupted by Jessica saying, "It's on me," smiling.

Amy looked at her, wide-eyed. "Really??" Impulsively, she reached out and hugged Jessica. "Thank you."

Jessica, a little startled, said, "No problem."

Amy turned and held the photo towards Runner. "This is for..." She stopped and looked back and forth between Melissa and Jana. "You guys understand, right?"

Melissa said, "Absolutely," while Jana nodded vigorously.

Amy smiled at both of them, and turned back to Runner. "This is yours."

Runner's jaw dropped as she took the photo from Amy. "Mine?" Amy nodded.

Holding the picture by her fingertips in both hands, Runner said breathlessly, "I'm going to go put this in my bag," turned, and made a dash for the guesthouse.

Amy watched her go, sighed, and turned back to Scott, hugging him and kissing his cheek.

He grinned. "What's that for?"

"Just general principles. And because you said yes too."

Sharon had approached and stopped a few paces away. She cleared her throat now. "Mister Calvin? The wedding coach is here."

Scott gave Amy a quick kiss on the lips and turned to the slavegirl. "Show her to the guesthouse, please, Sharon." He looked back at Amy. "You guys should all go there too. I'll hang around out here and bring my buddies back there when they show up."

Amy nodded, kissed him again, and started to walk with Melissa and Jana back to the guesthouse, but stopped. "Sharon, my bag is up in Scott's room... ummm, Mister Calvin's room..." She laughed briefly. "My room. Could you or Matty bring it out to the guesthouse? I need something that's in it."

Sharon nodded, "Yes, ma'am," and did a small curtsey.

Amy blinked. That was the first time either of Benjamin's slaves had called her that. Well, she told herself, life's full of changes.

Melissa finished buttoning the back of Amy's dress. "You do look fine without a bra, Amy. I'm just thinking about whether the dress is going to chafe your boobs, rubbing back and forth when you walk around."

Though disdaining support for her breasts, Amy had decided to wear panties, for now. She would discard them later, but she'd been feeling the lubrication oozing out between her legs all morning, in anticipation of her hanging, and felt more comfortable with something soaking it up -- she had added, in fact, a heavy-duty sanitary napkin. She'd come prepared.

The dress was a pretty cream color, and she liked the style -- long sleeves, shoulders slightly puffy, not excessively so, snug across her tummy, with a somewhat more sheer material across her breasts that showed the shape of them separately, the neckline running straight across the top of them, showing just a hint of cleavage. The bottom hem was near her ankles, and she thought about having the girls oil her legs beforehand, since they wouldn't show under the dress anyway, but decided to wait. She shook her head. "No, it feels fine. I don't think I'll need to move that much anyway. Now help me with this." She picked up the strip of material that matched the color of the dress, bought yesterday at the bridal shop on the way home from the city marriage office.

Melissa blinked. "What kind of help do you need with a choker?"

Amy shook her head. "Not with the choker itself. Hold on." She bent down to her bag and unzipped the pocket containing the envelope. Carefully, trying not to lose any strands, she extracted the five inch cutting of brown hair. Her tongue lodged against the edge of her lips as she concentrated, she wrapped the lock of hair around the choker and tied it in a knot, on the outer side of the choker, to hold it in place. She nodded, and muttered to herself, "That should stay."

Runner, Amy noticed, didn't look especially puzzled until she saw that Melissa and Jana did. Apparently she assumed Amy was doing something normal until the evidence came in that it wasn't. "What's that for, Amy?"

Amy smiled at Runner. "Remember what I told you about my first roommate, Susan?"

Runner nodded. "We saw her in the Hall of Honor. They hanged her at your first demo."

"Well, this is some of her hair. You saw how short it was, right?" Runner nodded. "It was cut so she could play a prisoner in the little show we put on beforehand. She was the first girl to do any kind of show at a demo, instead of them just hanging her so we could all watch. Anyway, I promised her I'd wear her hair around my choker when I did my show. Right up next to the rope. I just wanted her to know I'd remember her always."

Runner looked wide-eyed at the bit of hair now tied around the choker, then up at Amy. "I'll remember you always, Amy." She suddenly knelt beside her own bag, and stroked the side of it, looking up at Amy as she did it. "When I do my show, I'm going to have the picture of us. I'll put it somewhere on me."

Amy blinked quickly to keep the tears from flowing. This wasn't a good time to have to restore her makeup. As Runner stood again, Amy kissed her. "Thank you, honey." She picked up the choker, brushing her finger against the right side of her neck, and looked at Melissa. "I need you to help me put this right over my carotid." She put on the choker and fastened it, and stood still while Melissa, her own tongue sticking out the way Amy's had earlier, gently tugged it around so Susan's hair was in the proper place.

As Melissa stepped back, nodding with satisfaction, Amy said, "Oh! I hadn't thought of this somehow. The pulse monitor is in my slave choker, and I'm not going to be wearing that."

Melissa looked startled. "Oh, right! Well, it's okay, Amy. I can just do it the old-fashioned way. I'll check your pulse myself."

Amy nodded. "Okay. But... okay, just leave me hanging about an extra five minutes after you think I'm dead. I'll tell Scott, so he knows what's going on. I just don't want you checking over and over."

Melissa smiled. "Amy, I can tell..." She waved her hand. "Never mind, though, I'll do it that way."

Amy let out a sigh. I'm ready now, she told herself.

Melissa, Jana, and Runner were all in their bridesmaids dresses -- of a cut similar to Amy's, but in a soft yellow color. They had all arranged their hair in semi-formal styles, held by clips. Runner had done her own, based on the practice she'd had with it prior to the last party, though she did seek out advice from Melissa, who relocated one of the clips by about an inch. Amy's hair was too short to be rearranged in any significant way, but Jana had smoothed it out with a hairbrush.

Amy looked up as the door opened, and three young men entered. She recognized one of them immediately -- Scott's apartment roommate from his days at the university. She moved towards him, giving him a hug. "Alan! It's nice to see you."

He grinned and returned the hug. "Hey, Amy! Scott says this is all for real? You guys really are married?" Alan, like the other two men, looked half-stunned. All three had anticipated a hanging, but had had no idea a wedding party was included -- much less that they'd actually be participants in it.

Alan's degree of surprise ran even deeper. "I had absolutely no hint you were the girl Scott was going to be hanging! So... I guess you got through the Hanging Academy okay, then?"

Amy laughed. "So it seems."

"This is so weird. You know, I thought all along you and Scott could end up married, if it wasn't for the Academy thing. And you did anyway!" He frowned. "I never heard of a Hanging Girl being married. I thought you were all slaves."

"I was. Scott freed me for this."

He shook his head in wonder. "And you're still going to hang anyway?"

She laughed. "Alan, it's what we do! Anyway, are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh!" Alan turned to look at the others. "I don't exactly actually know them. You guys are from Scott's work, right?"

The nearer one, with short dark hair, nodded. "I'm Doug." He shook hands with Amy. "And this is Rob." The other man, shorter, his hair curly and blonde, stepped forward to greet Amy. Amy, in turn, introduced her friends, and then Annie, the wedding coach.

Annie said, "Why don't you guys get into your coats, and we'll get you paired up with the girls, and I'll tell you what you need to do. Have you been to any wedding parties before?" She'd asked the girls the same question earlier. Runner, of course, had not, though she'd seen a few on TV -- or bits and pieces of a few, anyway.

As the men put on coats -- all sky blue, all of them more or less fitting the wearers, whose sizes Scott had estimated beforehand -- Amy said to Alan, "I never really got a chance to thank you for..." She giggled. "Well, this sounds rude, but thank you for not being around much, when I was seeing Scott. I don't mean you aren't wonderful company or anything like that, but it was nice being able to get some time alone with Scott."

Alan laughed. "You're welcome. And I understand. It was kind of a favor we traded. Like he'd clear out when I brought girls over."

"Well, anyway, thanks." She kissed him on the cheek.

Annie said, "All of you stand still for a sec. I usually arrange the pairings by heights..."

About ten minutes after the men left the guesthouse, Annie, standing outside the door watching them take their places, signaled to Melissa to begin the formal portion of the party.

Melissa, in her yellow bridesmaids' dress, emerged from the guesthouse and began walking slowly towards the assembled guests in front of the hanging stage, carrying a basket, its handle hooked over her left arm, into which she reached periodically for a handful of red rose petals, scattering them around her as she walked. Amy, watching unseen from the dim interior of the guesthouse, heard the waiting crowd quiet suddenly, and saw them turn to watch Melissa.

About thirty feet behind her, Jana followed, distributing yellow petals, her face bearing a wide smile that threatened to turn into a giggle. Neither she nor Melissa had ever participated in a wedding party before, and neither had expected that they ever would -- neither happened to have had any close friends get married in the short months following high school graduation before they entered the Academy, and between the two of them they had only one older sister, Melissa's sister Miranda, who had, of course, never married. Both, however, had attended such parties for more distant acquaintances or cousins, so they had listened to Annie's instructions with some idea beforehand of what was expected of them.

Melissa had suggested that Runner should go last, being the least familiar with wedding traditions, though she'd actually seen this part before on television. Runner followed Jana, her petals blue.

At about the same time that Alan, standing to Scott's right between him and Benjamin, reached out for Melissa's hand and she took her position beside him, Amy, her heart fluttering, her mouth helplessly smiling, saw Annie's signal. Holding a floral bouquet in front of her, the same one she had held for pictures earlier, she stepped out of the guesthouse, and began walking at the same slow pace the others had used, following the gaily-colored path of petals they had made for her. At the near edge of the crowd, Jessica, the photographer, her camera held up to her eyes and aimed at Amy, went down on one knee and took several pictures as Amy approached. Several members of the crowd began applauding, and it quickly spread to the rest.

Amy was accustomed to being applauded, but the context was so different here that Amy was more self-conscious as the object of attention than she had been in a long time. She could feel herself blushing, and quickly looked above the waiting faces to the hanging noose. She took a deep breath, as the sight of it both calmed her and excited her.

She could pick out individual faces now, as she came closer. She spotted Steffi Bloom, grinned at her and gave her a small finger-wave. Justin, Jimmy, and Paul from the boat that had rescued her were standing together, dressed neatly but more casually than for the Academy party, in buttoned shirts and slacks. She waved to them as well. Her father was standing near Scott, beaming with a show of pride she hadn't seen directed at her before, and she blew him a kiss.

She suddenly sucked in a quick gasp and nearly stopped walking in her astonishment -- Dean Porter was here, smiling and applauding with everyone else.

The faces of the rest of the crowd were unfamiliar, probably a mixture of friends and colleagues of Scott and Benjamin -- she assumed she could tell whom they were connected with by their ages.

She gave Melissa, Jana, and Runner each a smile -- Jana standing with Rob, to Scott's left, and Runner with Doug next to them -- and then fixed her eyes on Scott. As she stopped in front of him, the guests quieted again, their applause dying down. In the utter quiet, Scott smiled, reached out to slide his arms around her. Holding each other, they kissed, a long, soft touch of lips.

They broke the kiss at last, and Amy stepped to the side and turned to face the guests, Scott's arm around her waist. Scott, a little nervously but speaking clearly, said, "I want to thank you, all of you, for honoring us with your presence. I present to you..." He paused, almost unable to form words around a huge smile, then went on, "...Mrs. Calvin Scott Smith -- my wife, Amy Cameron Smith."

The applause broke out again, louder than before, accompanied by exuberant shouts. The sounds then slowly quieted as the guests began forming a line to file past the newlyweds.

Some soft music began to play over the sound system. Amy understood there would be some dancing later, between her hanging and the barbecue.

Before any other guests could approach, Amy turned and hugged Benjamin. "Thank you so much, for everything."

Benjamin looked a little sheepish. "I suppose I should have told you, when we met in your dean's office..."

Amy grinned and shook her head. "I love surprises. This was the best ever, Benjamin. Oh, I just thought. I should probably call you Dad..." She looked to her left, and shook her head. "Maybe not, though. My own dad is right there."

Benjamin smiled. " 'Benjamin' is still fine."

Amy let go of Benjamin and lunged at her father who, standing nearest the groomsmen, had managed to be first in line. She squeezed him in a bear hug, her head against his chest. "I am so glad you're here, Daddy."

Preston rumbled, "Wouldn't miss it... Though I didn't have any idea a wedding party was included." He sounded slightly miffed.

She looked up at him. "Daddy, I didn't even know until yesterday. It was all meant to be a surprise, and Scott... Oh! Daddy, this is Scott." She released her father and gestured towards Scott. She giggled. "I know this seems weird, introducing you to a man I'm already married to. Please, don't be mad, Daddy! I wish now you'd met him four years ago... do you remember? I told you a little about him then. But I was so set on going to the Academy, we were both trying not to get too serious. But I love him, Daddy." She held her father's eyes with her own. "Very much."

Preston looked at her a moment longer, then seemed to relax a bit, and held out his hand towards Scott. "Preston Cameron."

Scott let out a visible sigh of relief. "Scott Smith. This is my dad, Benjamin Smith." As handshakes were exchanged, Preston went so far as to smile at Scott. "I'd ask what sort of long-term plans you and my girl have, but I understand I don't need to worry about that."

Scott laughed. "Not at all, sir. But I do want you to know I will do everything I can to make your daughter happy..."

Amy leaned against him and kissed his cheek. "You already have, honey."

She looked around, wanting to introduce her father to her friends from school, but couldn't spot them anywhere. Shrugging, she decided she could do it later.

Benjamin shook hands with Preston once more, and said, "Well, help yourself at the snack table. The bar is at the far end..."

Amy, her eyes finding Steffi, about halfway down the line, interrupted. "Daddy! Have you talked to Steffi Bloom yet, like I said to? You promised you would."

Preston looked uncomfortable. "Well..."

Amy gave him a stern look. "Daddy, she did so much for me, and she didn't have to do any of it. I've told her how grateful I am, but I want you to do it too. I know you must still be thinking she's responsible for what happened to Andrew. Andrew's an adult, he made his own decisions, and the consequences to him were his own doing. The only thing Steffi was ever thinking of was protecting me." She flashed a sly smile. "My dying wish, okay? Now you can't say no."

He sighed. "Okay. After she gets through the line."

She hugged him once more, and giggled. "Now get some food. It's going to be awhile before the big feast."

As he walked in the direction of the bar, Benjamin introduced Amy to the next guests in line, one of his employees and her husband.

Amy hugged Dean Porter unself-consciously. "It's so great you came! I never imagined!"

He smiled. "Well, I may be the only guest here who knew he was coming to a wedding party."

"About that. Ummm... I was remembering something awhile ago about your sale contracts. You always attach conditions to them, about having to hang the girl within a certain time. Letting Benjamin or Scott free me doesn't seem to fit -- I mean, as a free woman I can decide on my own future. Did you... well, what I mean is..."

The dean relieved her of having to find a tactful way to inquire into his business arrangements. Smiling again, he said, "No, this wasn't a normal Academy contract. Just a straight-up sale. And yes, I did understand Mr. Smith's intentions."

"But why would you..." She smiled suddenly, understanding. "You knew I'd insist on hanging. You didn't need any of the guarantees you normally get."

He nodded. "That's part of it. I trusted you, but it's actually never been a matter of trusting my own girls. I knew you'd do the right thing, as I know any graduate would. It went beyond that in this case. I trusted Mr. Smith. Benjamin. I've known him for years."

She thrust out her lower lip in a mock pout. "What, so it wasn't because I was special?"

He laughed. "You're misunderstanding, for once. What really charmed me about the idea was that it would give you a unique ending. As unique as you've been as a student, I thought you'd earned that."

Tears stinging her eyes for the hundredth time today, she hugged him again. "Thank you for making all this..." she gestured to indicate the grounds and the activity all around, "...possible. I'm happier than I ever imagined I could be."

"I can see that."

Melissa suddenly appeared, holding Alan's hand as they emerged between some tall shrubbery, both brushing what seemed to be loose blades of grass from their clothes. Alan's face wore a half-stunned grin. Amy, between guest greetings for the moment, waved Melissa over. "Where have you been? Like I can't tell." She giggled.

Melissa laughed. "Ummm, well, busy."

"Jana and Runner still 'busy'?"

"I guess. I kind of lost track of them." She laughed again. "This was Runner's idea. Or, well, I don't know if 'idea' is the right word." Amy's puzzled look set her off laughing again. When she caught her breath, she explained. "Last night, Runner was asking all these questions about what we were supposed to do. Matty had said there'd be a wedding coach, and we told Runner the coach would explain all that, but you know how she gets when she wants to know something. So we described it as well as we could, and then she asked, 'How do I know when to take my partner into the woods and have sex with him?' She'd seen that in a movie! And she thought it was just one of the things a bridesmaid does at a wedding party! We told her they don't, uhhh, usually do that, but then it occurred to us it sounded kind of fun. So we figured out when we could work that in."

Scott looked at Alan, who was now at one of the snack tables, and choked back laughter. "What, you mean that's where Doug and Rob are?"

Melissa nodded, and burst out laughing again.

Scott shook his head. "Well, I guess they'll remember my wedding." He and Amy both needed some time to recover from laughing before greeting the next guests.

Steffi hugged Amy warmly. "I am so glad to see you so happy."

"Oh, Steffi, you just can't even imagine."

"I wanted to make sure and tell you, I've been consulting with some sociologists, experts on primitive societies in general. We've formed sort of a working group, and a lot of good ideas are coming out of it."

Amy gasped excitedly. "That's great, Steffi!" Amy had felt sure Steffi would get interested in the ideas Amy had expressed when she'd visited Steffi's house shortly after her rescue.

Steffi sighed. "I just wish I had something more concrete to tell you before you go..."

Amy shook her head vigorously. "No, please don't worry about that. I'm so happy just knowing you're putting your energy into it. So many women's lives are going to be better, because of you."

Steffi smiled and shook her head. "Because of you, Amy."

They hugged again, and Amy said, "Oh, Steffi... Would you go over and say hi to my dad? He's been looking to talk to you, but he..." she hesitated only an instant, deciding how to phrase it, "...gets kind of sidetracked."

Steffi gave her a puzzled look, but nodded. "Sure."

"Honey, these are the sailors who rescued me from the Island! This is Justin Greene, the captain... Jimmy Pellis... Paul Bailor. I want all of you to meet my husband, Scott Smith." Wow! thought Amy, how odd it sounds to say that, but somehow just right.

After all had shaken hands with Scott, and Amy had hugged Bailor and Pellis, she gave Greene an especially warm, tight hug. Her arms still around his shoulders, she backed away enough to look in his face. "I think every day about how you helped me when nobody else could. I'm so happy you get a chance to see what you saved me for! Listen, while I'm hanging, at one point I'll be facing in your direction. When I do a little double kick with my feet, that's me saying goodbye to you, and 'thank you' one last time. Okay?"

He grinned and nodded, then blinked in surprise as Amy kissed him. He shot a quick look at Scott, but Scott simply smiled, held out his hand for another shake and said, "Thanks again."

Amy had missed seeing Jana and Runner return, but spotted them over at the snack table, both with paper plates, Jana apparently making suggestions to Runner as to which treats would be good. Amy waved, trying to get their attention, but suddenly her own attention was drawn to the portable barbecue pit, beyond the hanging stage, where two women from the catering crew were preparing to light the fire. One of them sprayed lighter fluid over the top of the coal bed, while the other turned on the gas jets beneath the coal. The fire sprang quickly to life when touched by flame guns, and Amy closed her eyes, inhaling deeply the always-exciting smell of mixed lighter fluid and charcoal. It's for me it's for me it's for me! a voice inside her chanted. All her life, long before devoting herself to hanging, Amy had been conscious of every woman's goal of being food, and her hopes that she could provide for the people she loved most. That fire, she thought, that fire I'm seeing right there in front of me, that's my completion as a woman.

Near the barbecue pit stood the carving table, and beside it the large jar full of preserving fluid. In just a few hours, she marveled, my head is going to be in that! She brushed her fingers across her cheek. This head right here, she told herself.

She looked up again at the noose. And I get to hang!! said another voice inside her. My completion as a Hanging Girl.

As Amy and Scott finished greeting the last guests in line, Scott held his arm up. "Everybody! I know this is a little out of the usual order, but we can't wait and share the wedding cake after dinner, and I assume you all know why." There was laughter all around, and Scott, taking Amy's hand, led her to the table on which the cake towered.

Amy, as soon as she was close enough to see the cake, threw her hands to her face and started laughing. The cake was topped by five-inch-high bride and groom figures -- the groom dressed formally in a tux and bow tie, looking up at the bride, who was naked, hands bound behind her with string, hanging by the neck from a tiny noose.

Amy spun towards Scott and threw her arms around him again. "I love it!" She kissed him once more, while the guests applauded.