CR001 wrote:If it is your first Schengen visa, it is probably unlikely that you will get a long term muliple entry visa. I didn't, my visa was only valid for the duration of my holiday.
As spouse of BC, your visa should be issued free of charge (except for the VFS handling fee) provided all your paperwork is in order etc.
You can save yourself a handling fee by not going to the entirely optional external service provider (VFS, TLS, ...). Though sadly not all embassies state that that it is optional, some even only direct only to the external provider even though under the Schengen Visa Code, article 17.5, they MUST inform people that they can at all times make a direct application and contact with the embassy. If "your" embassy does not inform you about direct applications and appointments, complain with the EU Commission (Home Affairs)!