Gillian woke long after her fiancé with a pounding headache and unfamiliar of her surroundings. It took her a while to register that she was in Emily's room, which was darker than hers. No wonder the teen could sleep in so easily. She blinked her eyes and looked around, finding a glass of water and aspirin on the table next to her. Of course Cal knew she would need it. She could hear him rattling pots and pans downstairs, and she knew he was already cooking. A quick look at the clock told her that he most likely was not cooking breakfast, and instead prepping whatever had to be done for tomorrow. She popped the aspirin in her mouth and took a drink of the water. When she stood up, she saw that Cal had managed to get her into a t-shirt, but she was still just in her underwear, and she couldn't try to entertain her family while she was half naked. She didn't like the idea of walking around the house like this either, so sneaking to her own bedroom wasn't really an option. She looked around and found her stuff from last night. Her dress, shoes, and purse were all in a pile at the foot of the bed.

Thank God! She started rifling through her purse until she found her phone. Emily was right at the top, because she was the last person Gillian had contact with last night before she got home. She thought long and hard about how to ask this, she was honestly a little in awe by the fact she would have to ask this question.

SO, KIND OF A STRANGE QUESTION. I'M IN YOUR ROOM, AND AM IN THE MARKET FOR A PAIR OF SWEATPANTS OR SOMETHING. CAN I BORROW SOME?

The response was quick.

SURE! CHECK BOTTOM DRAWER. C U DOWNSTAIRS! Gillian chuckled to herself. She wasn't surprised, Emily had been here every day since all the English relatives got here, spending as much time with all of them as possible. She went over to the chest and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out a pair of yellow sweatpants with thick blue letters down one side, SJSU. If she was going to wear Emily's clothes, she might as well represent!

Downstairs she found Emily petting a curled up Lucy, talking to George at length about school. Gillian sat on the other couch and listened in. "But I love how he uses real life things to illustrate his points. We watch clips from television shows and comedians, and he has us write a paper where we analyze a movie, and have to tie it to four different things he brought up in class. I wrote about Up, and he loved it. Definitely, the best class I have taken so far."

Gillian nodded, only catching half of the conversation, but she could see it was a very interesting class. "What class is this exactly?" She asked.

"Social problems." Emily responded, looking up at Gillian. "Nice pants, Gill." She said, a sly grin on her face.

Gillian turned a bright shade of red. "Oh, God! I'm sorry! I never thought I would be in that situation, now I feel bad for taking your clothes!"

Emily was shaking her head and laughing. "Gill! Don't worry. Mom and I swap clothes more often than you would think. She wears my stuff on lazy days at home, and I steal hers when I am going out, or have a job interview! Please, wear my pants, I couldn't care less!" The look in the teen's eye was very genuine, and Gillian relaxed. George was laughing at their whole exchange.

Alice came in, dragging her feet behind her and hanging her head while they were all laughing. "You lot are so loud! Can you quiet down?"

Gillian giggled. "I see we have matching hangovers. Did you have fun last night?"

Alice sat on the couch next to her husband. "Yes. Ria is great, the day was exciting, but right now I just wish I'd had less to drink."

Gillian nodded. "I'm with you there!" They all laughed. Gillian stood up. "Can I get you an aspirin or something?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, please!" Gillian went up to the bathroom and shook two aspirin out of the bottle. She also filled one of the small paper cups with water and brought that down with her as well. Alice thanked her profusely as she sat back down in her spot on the couch.

Gillian looked around and couldn't help noticing that a few bodies were missing. "Where are the boys? And Rupert and Maisie?" Gillian asked.

Emily answered first. "Grandpa and Maisie are out sightseeing. She has never been to the US before, so Grandpa is showing her all of his favorite places in the Capital."

Gillian nodded. "Makes sense." She replied. So many of the monuments that seemed so cool to everyone else were just so ordinary to her now. She forgot that people from all over really enjoyed sightseeing around her home, and her workplace. "What about Thomas and Lawrence?" She asked again.

"They hit it off with your nieces. Nick and Nancy will bring them to the rehearsal dinner tonight, and we will take them back with us then." George explained.

Gillian was beaming. "I'm so glad they all get along! I was worried the boys wouldn't have anyone their age to hang out with!"

George nodded. "Yeah, I guess they played football and all sorts of other games outside and bonded over The Lion King." Gillian laughed. She knew her nieces well, and knew they would much rather watch The Little Mermaid. She could see them, mostly Sadie, searching through the movies title by title to find a movie boys would like too.

"That's sweet!" Gillian replied. "Well, Erin has two young kids, Kiley is four and Felix is fifteen months, so they can play with them too. I know that there will be plenty of kids at the wedding, so I'm sure they'll have fun. But I'm glad they connected with Sarah and Sadie."

"No one my age though." Emily joked.

"Emily, you're not your age." Alice replied, and the room started laughing.

When they quieted down, Gillian responded. "Actually, I think the photographer is nineteen or twenty. So you could chat with him."

Emily shrugged. "I'll probably just bug Ria all night. She's a lot of fun!"

Alice grabbed the teen's shoulder. "You're right about that!"

As they talked, Gillian thought back to just a few days before. It had been awkward at first to talk to these people, but it was natural now. They pushed each other's buttons like a real family, and she couldn't be any happier that she was joining it.

There was something about Gillian all dressed up that took Cal's breath away. She looked beautiful every day no matter what she was wearing, but her dressed up in classy dresses always took him back to the first time he met her. When he walked into her office and found her dressed in a nice white blouse and a black skirt that moved when she did, he knew she dressed like a classy lady, and it took his breath away. So when Gillian came downstairs in a pearl purple knee length dress that pulled asymmetrically to the right, his heart skipped a beat again. He had kissed her and told her she looked beautiful, and watched her blush. He didn't know if she knew how she took his breath away.

They picked a Mexican restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, mostly because it also featured a dance floor, and they could dance later on that night. When they got there, the whole party was already waiting for them. Gillian looked around and couldn't believe how many people were there! She ran up to her father and threw her arms around his neck, she hadn't seen him in person in years. "Hey Dad!" She said as she hugged him.

"Hey, Gillybean!" He responded, squeezing her harder. Gillian didn't care how old she was, something about her dad calling her that put a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She would let him call her that forever.

She pulled away and hugged Jeanne as well. She turned to beckon Cal over, and noticed he was already by her side. She gestured towards her Dad and Jeanne. "Cal, this is my Dad, Chuck and my Step-mom, Jeanne." Cal shook each of their hands.

"I'm sorry I never asked your permission to marry you daughter, although I did ask Nick because I figured it was the next best thing." Gillian laughed, because she never expected Cal to be nervous meeting her Father.

Her Dad laughed too. "It's alright, son, you don't need to be that proper with me. As long as you make my Gillybean happy, I don't really care!" Gillian hugged her father again, hoping he could see just how happy she was. They then made their way to their special table, where Emily and George were waiting for them.

Gillian looked around and took stock of who was here. Nick and Nancy were at one table with her nieces, who were both wearing pink flowery dresses. All of the parents were at another table. Erin and Logan were here with Kiley and Felix, who Gillian decided to steal later. Alice had the boys at a table by herself. And Ria and Alex were sitting at a table with Eli and Carrie. These twenty three people were what their lives boiled down to, their most treasured friends.

Gillian reached across the table and wrapped Emily in a warm embrace. She sat back and picked up the menu, choosing her meal. The waiter cane around and took everyone's order pretty quickly, and soon everyone was back to talking and intermingling. The kids had all found the dance floor, and all of them were dancing together. It was adorable, and Emily took lots of pictures. With an empty table, Alice had gone to talk with Ria and everyone at that table. Cal was over talking to all the parents, and was the first person introduced to Michelle's boyfriend, Tom. Gillian made a beeline for the baby.

When she got to Erin's table, Felix started wiggling around, and lifted his arms up. "Hey, buddy!" Gillian cooed, lifting him into her arms. He reached for her face and poked her in the eye.

"Eye!" He said, nice and loud.

Gillian grinned. "You are a smart fella! That is my eye! Where is my nose?" Felix reached out and smacked her nose.

"Ha han!" He squealed. Gillian laughed.

"He is honking your nose, just so you know." Erin told her.

Gillian grinned back at the toddler. "Did you honk my nose?" She reached her hand up and tapped her nose. "Honk! Honk!"

Cal looked over at the sound of a baby laughing. Gillian had of course found Felix, and he was attached to her hip. He gestured towards her. "Typical. Another man stealing away my fiancée."

The table looked over and they all laughed. "Oh, Cal you better look out, I think that little man is stealing her heart!" Maisie said.

Cal nodded. "He had her heart the day he was born, I saw it!" They all laughed. "That's Felix, Gill's godson, and she takes him whenever she can, and his older sister too."

Maisie nodded. "Her eyes light up around that child. She looks so alive."

"I agree." He said as he nodded. "You should see her with her nieces."

"Oh, she adores those little girls!" Michelle interrupted. "And they love her! They get so excited when she walks into the room, it's so funny!" She stopped for a moment. "You know, I think they get even more animated when Gillian brings Cal."

"That's cause I bring everything up a notch." The table started laughing again.

"So, do you and Gill want kids?" Maisie asked.

Cal nodded. "We are going to do foster care. Depending on things, we might be able to adopt, and I think that's the best option for us." He answered

"What about kids of your own? I mean, you've done a fantastic job with Emily, and Gillian seems to love babies."

Cal waved his hands, dismissing her. "Gill can't have kids. So fostering is our best option."

Maisie turned red. "I didn't mean to pry, sorry."

"Yeah, you did, but everyone asks, so we're used to the question." Cal retorted. It came out meaner than he meant it. "It's okay to ask, Maisie. That is the normal course of things." She relaxed a bit as he said this.

"I like you." Chuck spoke up, suddenly. He had been sizing Cal up this time and hadn't spoken much. Cal could see so much of Gillian in him, mostly in his chin, cheeks and eyes. He had always thought that Gillian's eyes were like her mother's, but right now he was looking at Chuck, and Gillian's eyes were staring back at him. He continued. "I mean, look at her, she's beaming. And it's not all because of the baby. And you seem down to earth, and I can tell you care about her by the way you look at her."

Cal waited a bit before answering. "I can assure you, sir, that if anyone is down to earth, it's Gill. She keeps me grounded when I go off. But you're right, I care about her more than you know."

This is the moment Gillian joined them next to the table, a little Felix still glued to her hip. "How are you all doing over here?" She asked. Cal had to smile, of course she was being a good hostess, making her way to all the tables.

Michelle nodded. "I think we're fine, Gillybean, how are you doing?"

"Great!" She responded. She looked over at the man next to her mother. He had grey but thick hair parted at the left. He seemed very tall, and he was a little goofy looking, but Gillian could see kindness in his eyes. "You must be Tom. It's nice to finally meet you." She said. She reached her hand over the table to shake his, keeping a firm grasp on Felix.

"Likewise." He responded. "I hear that this little guy is your godson. He's a cutie."

Gillian smiled and nodded. "That he is. I'd love to take credit for him, but he's not my doing. But I like to steal him whenever I can." She explained.

"Can I just tell you that you look stunning in that dress?" Maisie interrupted. "The color looks amazing on you."

"Thank you, Maisie. I honestly just stumbled across it and decided that tonight was the night for the big debut." Gillian responded, blushing.

"Let's be honest, Gillybean, you look stunning in just about everything you wear!" Michelle was beaming at her daughter, and Cal could see how proud she was of Gillian.

"I can attest to that!" Cal responded, hugging Gillian to the side, and placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

She blushed. "Thank you all." She looked around. "I am going to head over and talk with Ria and company over there." She gazed off in the direction of Ria and Eli's table.

Cal stepped towards her. "I'll come with you." They said goodbye to everyone there and headed over towards Ria. "How are you lot doing over here?" Cal asked.

Eli was grinning. "I like this place. It's like our bar but classier. Good choice, guys." The table started laughing.

"So I guess that means you're doing okay then." Gillian clarified. Everyone nodded. "Good. Because we are going to need some people who can show everyone else how to dance." Gillian looked directly at Ria. "You know we're not leaving until we get everyone, right?"

"Well, the kids got a head start." Ria responded, pointing at the dance floor, where five children were bobbing around. "They are so cute! I can't wait to have one of those." She reached out and stroked Felix's hair.

"Oh! Gill, I forgot to tell you!" An overeager Carrie was practically jumping out of her seat. "Alice is going to pick me up so I can help with decorations in the hall. That way, you can sleep in a bit on Friday morning, and don't have to worry about decorating." She was smiling, the kind of smile a kid has when they surprise their parents.

"Thank you so much for that, Carrie!" Gillian walked around to her side of the table, and hugged her with her free arm. They continued talking for a few minutes about decorations, and the Friday morning itinerary, until dinner came out. Gillian relinquished Felix back into the care of his mother, and sat back at her table. George had taken his plate and moved to eat with his family, so it was just Cal and Emily waiting for her.

She had ordered some amazing chicken and rice dish, and she was loving it. She offered a bite to Emily and Cal. "Gill! That is amazing! Why didn't I order that?" Emily pouted.

"Because, you wanted tacos." Cal answered, matter-of-factly. Emily rolled her eyes and went back to her tacos, which she thought were almost as good as whatever Gillian got. She looked at her Dad's plate. "At least I didn't get a burger at a Mexican restaurant." She teased.

"Oi! I like burgers!" Gillian and Emily were giggling. "Besides, Kiley got chicken nuggets."

"Dad, Kiley is four. You are thirty-eight years older than Kiley. Grow up." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the gesture.

Gillian shook her head and laughed. "What did I get myself into?" she joked.

George stood up, tapping on his glass with a fork. "Hello everyone, it's nice to see you all here tonight. First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you for making my family feel so welcome here in a different country. You have my gratitude for that. Now, let me tell you a little something about Cal. Cal and I have kept email correspondence for years, ever since he moved to the US. About ten years ago, he told me that he was starting a new company with a business partner, named Gillian. That was the first time I heard of her. But for around three years, I never got another email that didn't mention her by name at least once. After his marriage fell apart with Zoe, I think it took him two months to tell me that he was pretty sure he had feelings for Gillian. There was just one problem. She was married." People in the room started laughing. "So I heard all these stories about Gillian every week. And every once in a while, Cal would try to tell me about what new girl he was dating. But there was a difference. Every month without fail, I heard about Gill. But when he was dating, I could go months without hearing about whatever girl he was dating. That's how I knew that my older brother was in love. When Gill got divorced, I got an email asking for advice. Should he go for it? He didn't want to be the rebound guy. Now, if I thought I was hearing about Gillian a lot before, I heard more about her after the divorce. My brother painted a great picture, and even when he chose not to pursue a relationship, he was her closest friend. They went to functions together, and were each other's everything. Plus ones at weddings, and other social gatherings. I know that after a particularly tough case, he found solace in her and her guest bedroom. The whole time, I was egging him on. 'Ask her out' I would reply, 'just kiss her already and see what happens.' I always got back, 'Nah, it's too risky,' or 'I don't want to mess up our friendship.' Now, I could only see this through his eyes. But my brilliant niece over there," he pointed at Emily, "She hatched a master plan to get these two friends, who were so obviously in love, together. My brother's emails changed. I got pictures of Cal and this beautiful woman he had been pining over for years. I got group shots of them with Emily, looking like they had been a family forever, and not just a few short months, or years. He was happier, and settled. His emails became less about now and more about plans for his life with his true love." He paused, and looked at Gillian. "Gill. I just met you. You are every bit as wonderful as he has let on. I can't help but wonder. What do you see in him?" The room erupted. "I mean it! What did he do to deserve someone as wonderful as you? I knew him growing up, I never thought we'd be here!"

"Piss off!" Cal joked.

George smiled. "Honestly, I can't think of any two people more in love than Cal has been with you. I know you two will be very happy together." He raised his glass. "To the bride and groom!"

George sat down, and Emily stood up to speak. "I don't know how to follow that, but I'll try. Dad and Gill, I have been waiting for this day longer than you would know. Dad has always been happier with you than with anyone else. The last few years, before you started dating, you really integrated into our lives, you might as well have been dating anyway. You know I have always had a unique bond with Gill. I told her all my secrets, and went to her when I was in trouble. She was always someone I could tell anything to. And whenever she had passed off her relationship with my father as just friends, I could see the longing in her eyes. So, I had to take action." Cal and Gillian laughed. "I had a brilliant plan that got you two to talk, and you talked and things changed. Things changed for the better. I have seen my Dad try to make things work with a lot of different women. Clara, Sharon, my Mom way too many times." The room laughed again. "With Gillian it just seems effortless. He is happy and settled, and I am so glad that Gillian finally admitted her feelings so that my Dad can finally be happy like he deserves. And Gill seems happy too, and she definitely deserves that. For a woman that has seen so much heartache, I'm glad you've found happiness with us." She raised her glass. "So, to my Dad and Gill!"

"To Cal and Gill." The room answered. Emily sat down, and the room rang with the sound of glass clinking against glass. Soon, everyone finished their meals, and went out to the dance floor. Cal and Gillian danced the night away with their friends and family.