The rest of Christmas had gone by in kind of a blur, since it was now a combined Christmas, Hen night, and Stag night. The Rangers and their families all prepared for what needed to be done the following day if they were to keep things to a decent schedule. Lauren had already arranged to move the guys' party down to the main bar, while keeping the hen party in the main hall, so that Kevin and Mia could observe the ritual of "not seeing each other the night before." It also required a bit of bedroom juggling, meaning that as a sacrifice on a temporary basis, tonight Mike would be sharing with Kevin, and Mia would be sharing with Emily. It was the least troublesome arrangement, since when they first arrived at the Shiba House that had been the sleeping arrangements anyway.
Lauren made sure the Hen party was well furnished with champagne. She hadn't actually been to a wedding, but seeing the excitement in the air, she was starting to understand why Mia was so obsessed with them. Although everyone was still on a high about Christmas, this was a different thing entirely. Everyone was buzzing around Mia, congratulating her and wishing her well in her marriage, while ensuring she had a great night on what was left of the night.
"I'm maid of honour!" Emily shrieked as she jumped into view, almost causing Lauren to fall off her chair in fright. She spilled a little champagne, but her reaction time was quick enough to stop her falling off the chair. "Lauren, did you hear me? I'm the Maid of Honour! Mia just told me!"
"Please, are you really that surprised?" Lauren chuckled as she wiped some excess off the side of her glass, before any more dripped out. "You have been practically a sister to her for almost two years."
"Yeah, I know, but Serena's the same age as her, and you're her Shogun." Emily reminded her, bouncing excitedly. "But she chose ME!"
Lauren just smiled, understanding her excitement. She knew that Emily had a few minority complex issues. She had been bullied terribly growing up, and didn't have any real friends until she reached the Shiba House. Being the second child, she was the second choice for Yellow Ranger. In many ways, it was one of the first times she was taken as the first choice by anyone for anything. Lauren could see how much it meant to her. She just reached forward, grabbing Emily and pulling her into a tight, one-armed hug.
"You deserve it." Lauren told her, kissing her cheek softly, before releasing her. "So, this is what the run up to a wedding is like?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Emily answered, rubbing her neck, feeling more than a little pain from Lauren's overly-enthusiastic gesture of affection. She saw the way Lauren was looking at Mia and sighed. "Lauren, is this about what we talked about before?"
"Kind of I guess." Lauren answered quietly. "I mean, look at how happy Mia is. Look at the way everyone crowds around her. I just...I can't help imagining what it would be like having a day like that for myself."
"You know that it's not just about the wedding don't you?" Emily asked a little uneasily as she looked at Lauren. The Red Ranger just drank some more champagne, before pouring herself another glass.
"Of course, it's not like I plan on marrying the first guy that can give me kids and then throwing him away like the garbage." She told Emily. "It's like I said, I want what Mia has with Kevin, what you have with Mike. I just...I see that, and I guess I'm a little...well, OK, I'm a lot jealous."
"You don't need to be." Emily answered as she sat with Lauren, putting an arm around her. "You're a great person. Any guy would be lucky to have you."
Lauren just looked at her, seemingly unconvinced, before turning her attention back to her champagne. Emily decided to press on.
"Well, I remember promising to help you." Emily reminded her. "Maybe it would help to begin with what you're looking for."
"Excuse me?" Lauren asked her.
"Well, what kind of guys do you go for?" Emily pressed on. As Lauren just stared blankly at her, Emily realised her mistake. Lauren had already explained that her attendants hadn't encouraged anything that distracted from her training. Any of the guys she knew were either kept at arms' length, or old enough to be her father. Dating especially was right off the books. "OK, how about this. You've watched TV haven't you? What kinds of guys on there have traits you think are appealing?"
"Well, definitely not that yellow sponge thing Mike insists on watching." She giggled. "I mean, he's on that channel pretty much every hour of the day, and that laugh? It's as painful as a dentists' drill!"
"Lauren..."
"I mean, there are tons of other good shows on that channel, why do they force every episode ever made of that show every single day?" Lauren asked her.
"Yeah, I don't get the appeal of Sponge Bob at all either." Emily conceded. "But that's not what I meant."
"I know, it's just..." Lauren's words tailed off as she tried to think about it. She really hadn't had much time with guys her own age. Really, until she went to the Shiba House, she had barely met any. She thought about some of the things she admired about characters on TV, things she liked about the guys she had met, even the other guys on the team.
"Well, I guess liking kids would be a good start, since I am kind of planning on a family at some point." Lauren began off-hand, before thinking a little more about what she wanted from a guy. "I guess I'd like him to be kind, thoughtful, but not a pushover. I'd like him to be strong enough to be able to say what he likes, what he believes, but not feeling the need to force his ideas on anyone."
"OK, that's good." Emily told her. "What else?"
"I guess I'd like him to have a good sense of humour." Lauren continued, her gaze drifting off slightly. "He should be smart, caring, I'll need someone who doesn't care about my...quirks, or the fact I have money, in fact if they didn't know that would be for the best...I guess...I...this is silly..."
"Why is it silly?" Emily pressed her. "Surely you need to know what you want before you start looking."
"Well, it's not like I have much of an open market." Lauren told her. "I mean, look at me!"
"Yeah, you're pretty hot." Emily complimented her. "Hell, if I was that way inclined..."
"Look, I'm just being silly. I guess the wedding stuff is just getting to me." Lauren told her. "Look, you should go back to the others. You need to make sure Mia makes it to the aisle."
With that, Emily made her way back to the party, sending a text to Mike as she did so.
The following morning was a slight extension of the problems they had faced the night before, but they quickly worked around them. Once more, the girls were having breakfast in the main ball room, while the guys had breakfast in the bar. Kevin had foregone training that morning, though not only because he was excited about the wedding. He sat at a table, cradling his aching head in one hand, his elbow on the table when Baron came over. He put down a tray, carrying a glass of water, a couple of aspirin, and a red, viscous liquid.
"Don't worry son, everyone's entitled." Baron told him with a chuckle. "I remember having a mammoth hangover the morning I married Michelle."
"God, I feel like crap." Kevin commented. "I must look like hell; Mia's going to kill me."
"Trust me, if I could look presentable on my wedding day, we'll have no trouble fixing you up." Baron assured him, handing him the thick, red drink. "Here, have this."
"What is it?" Kevin asked.
"Virgin Mary." Baron told him. "Tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco sauce, salt and pepper. Believe me, it'll help. Have that, an aspirin and a shower, then change. You'll be fine."
"Dad, I'm..."
"You don't need to apologise, everyone's allowed a little vice or overindulgence once in a while." Baron assured him. "Despite my training, I know I enjoyed the odd overstuffed burrito back in my swimming days."
Baron reached out to his son as Kevin took a long sip.
"The others are setting up." He told him. "You just try to relax. It's natural to be nervous."
"I'm not." Kevin put down flatly as he finished his Virgin Mary. Baron just looked at him. "I'm not nervous, not at all."
"Really?" Baron asked him. Kevin shook his head.
"I've been nervous before every swim meet, every time trial, I was nervous when I first told Mia how I felt..." Kevin rhymed off. "I was nervous before every Ranger battle, but this time I'm not. I think about making Mia my wife, and there isn't one part of me that has a second though."
"Then you've obviously made the right choice." Baron answered, patting his son on the shoulder. "Now, try to have some breakfast. It'll be a surprisingly long day."
"Thanks dad." Kevin answered. "Look, I know I asked Mike to be Best Man..."
"It's alright, I understand." Baron assured him. "I'll be on Kleenex duty with your mother anyway. Just try to enjoy it."
"I will." Kevin answered as he went to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. Baron just smiled as he watched him go. The Dragon Zord landed on Baron's shoulder and bowed its head sadly.
"Don't worry, we're not losing him." Baron told the little Zord. "He's become a fine man. He'll still be in our lives."
The Zord bleeped a little dejectedly. Baron just laughed, stroking it with his hand.
"Well, I think it'll be interesting for all of us finding out what happens." Baron sniggered slightly. "Still, you won't face that challenge alone. The Turtle will be going with you remember?"
The Dragon just slumped down, seemingly unconvinced. He just sat, comforting his old friend.
Mike ran around frantically as Jayden and Antonio helped him set up for the ceremony. Mia had always dreamed of an outdoor ceremony, and they were doing what they could to make it a possibility, but it seemed that nature had its own little obstacle to put on the proceedings. Overnight, there had been a heavy snow fall, and the ground was now covered in a thick, white blanket. It complicated things, but when Mike had texted Emily to inform her of the development, Emily had just texted back to say that Mia had made up her mind, and the ceremony was to go ahead EXACTLY as planned!
Antonio had found and set up a couple of area heaters, adjusting them slightly. They were a little over six feet tall at the top, where the heat came out, so they were high enough that if he set them up right, they wouldn't melt the snow, but would mean that anyone who wasn't fortunate enough not to have to be in formal dress wouldn't freeze. They only had about ten of them, so they lined the aisle with them, and left two at the 'altar'. It was really two trees, which Mike had manipulated with his Samuraizer into growing across into an arch. Jayden had found a little podium in one of the equipment cupboards, and had brought it out for Alano to use for the ceremony.
Parry was helping set out chairs for everyone, while Jayden used a jet of flame from his Samuraizer to melt a path to the altar, so Antonio could unroll a length of red carpet.
"Alright, it doesn't look like it's going to snow again for a while." Mike commented, looking up to the sky. "I guess we have to hope Mia and Kevin don't get cold feet."
Everyone just glared at him.
"Really Mike?" Jayden asked, a little judgementally.
"Dude, even I think that was lame." Antonio agreed. Mike just sighed.
"Alright, we should probably keep an eye on the weather." Mike told them. "You guys go and get ready."
As they went inside, Parry stayed with his son. He could see a complete change in Mike. Although he wasn't ever exactly the most serious-minded person, Mike especially had concerned him growing up, seeming to never quite get when it was time for the jokes and games to stop, and pay attention to the boring but practical things in the world. He came over as Mike checked the podium had been set up correctly.
"It's a big day." Parry told him.
"With Mia involved, it was always going to be." Mike answered as he gave it a little shake to make sure it was sturdy. He knew it was only there for show, neither Mia nor Kevin were especially religious, so he doubted that it would be needed for any bible readings, but he seemed to still find it important. He was checking every detail, and seemed to be taking all of it very seriously. "I doubt the guys setting up for Will and Kate would have been under this much pressure."
"I guess it's got you thinking about your own wedding to Emily." Parry suggested. Mike just shrugged.
"I guess." He commented. "We don't really want a huge fuss. If we can get our friends together, that'll be good enough for us."
"Are you sure?" Parry asked him. Mike just nodded.
"It's not about the wedding; it's about the marriage that comes afterwards." Mike answered sagely. Parry just smiled and sat down, gesturing to Mike to do the same.
"You've really changed." Parry said as he looked to his son proudly. "I can't believe how much."
"I guess I never thought about it." Mike replied honestly. In a lot of ways he had, and he couldn't even pinpoint where it had happened. When he came to the Shiba House, he was a big fish in a small pond. He was a nerd, a geek, that much he admitted. He was always into comic books and video games, but as a result of his training, he was never a victim with it. The schoolyard bullies who tried to take advantage of him and his friends quickly regretted it. Matthew and Reece, his best friends since Kindergarten, had been firm friends with him, and enjoyed a measure of protection as a result of his skill. It did, however, give him a bit of an ego, something even Mike would readily admit.
When he first came to the Shiba House, he thought he knew it all. He had been in a few fights, and always walked away relatively untouched. Even kids years older than him, and much stronger weren't much of a challenge. However, when he first got to the Shiba House, he was given a serious wake up call.
Seeing Jayden in action when he first arrived in Panorama City opened his eyes to a level of skill and power he never believed to be possible. When he actually got to the house and started training, he was completely humbled in quick fashion, showing him that he most definitely didn't know as much as he thought he did. The Nighlock were far stronger than the bullies he was used to, and his first days of training were nothing short than an exercise in humiliation as Kevin and Jayden took him to task, generally leaving him on the ground, with no idea how he got there. It had lit a fire under him, one that had given him more focus than he ever had on any video game. It showed him what he had been neglecting, and what he wanted to be.
"Anyway, let's go and get changed." Parry instructed him, getting up. "I doubt there'll be another snow fall in the next twenty minutes."
"Dad, could you do me a favour?" Mike asked him. Parry just nodded.
"What is it?" He asked in response.
"Could you tell me about mom?" Mike questioned him. Parry had lost his wife while Mike was still a baby. In a lot of ways, it was just one of the ways in which Mike had identified with Jayden, knowing what it was like growing up without a parent. Parry just smiled.
"Of course." Parry said happily. "Days like this make me think about her too."
In her room, Mia was almost finished getting dressed. She had worn a wedding dress once before, back as part of a mission for the Rangers, but this time was different. This time, it was a real dress, for her real ceremony. It was the day she had dreamed about for years.
She had to admit that things had happened that weren't ideal, and that hadn't gone exactly as planned. She had always had wild dreams about the most outlandish ceremonies that anyone could imagine. Some of the ideas her imagination had conjured would have put a Disney production to shame, but with Kevin, she found she didn't need any of it.
She had meant what she had said to him. All her family was here. Her mom, her dad, her brother, all the other Samurai...she couldn't imagine anything else she needed to make the day perfect. Emily just looked at her, with bright, shining eyes, almost in tears.
"Mia, you look so beautiful." Emily gushed as Sadie moved closer, with a box in her hands.
"You really do look wonderful sweetheart." Sadie agreed. She gestured to her daughter to kneel down, where she could reach her. Mia did so, allowing her mother to attach the hair band, carrying her veil to her hair. She looked to her daughter and smiled. "Kevin's a lucky man."
"I'm the lucky one." Mia answered. "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve him."
"Is everything ready?" Grant asked from the door, knocking it and opening it ajar, so he didn't just burst in. Sadie turned her chair towards the door.
"Its fine Grant, your daughter's ready." She informed him. Grant came in, and saw Mia standing in her dress. It was a flowing, white gown, with long sleeves, and an intricate pattern embroidered into it. It was a little old-fashioned, but Mia loved it. It had been the same dress Sadie had worn on her wedding day, and she had joyfully agreed to let Mia wear it when she told her of her plans. Grant stood, looking at Mia breathlessly.
"You...you look...I can't believe this is my little princess." He stammered. "I can't believe that this day came. I still think of you as my little girl." Mia just came over, hugging her dad.
"I'll always be your little girl, and you'll always be my dad." She answered in Japanese. Grant parted from her, seeing her smile, and he was satisfied.
"Kevin will make you happy." He assured her, putting her veil over her face. He looked to Sadie. "Tell Mike and the others we're ready."
Sadie nodded and headed out the door. By virtue of needing to use the elevator, it would take her a while to get outside. Grant handed Mia another glass of champagne.
"I can't believe I'm really giving you away." He stated. "Are you ready?"
"I've been ready for a long time." Mia assured him, thinking about Kevin. "We just need to wait on our signal."
