Chapter Thirty Five
There's no taking back what we've got
Too strong, we've had each other's back for too long
There's no breaking up this time
And you know it's okay, I came to my senses
Letting go of my defenses
There's no way I'm giving up this time
And I'm all in, nothing left to hide
Lifehouse – All In
The door had barely come to shut behind them when their conversation was drowned out by a sudden abrupt cheer that made Grace's ears practically ring. Tiny white and pink confetti hearts rained down on them as the two of them stood there frozen in shock by the scene before them.
The entire team was here along with Angell and several members from Don's squad room who had managed to get away. Grace was swept away by a wave of emotion as their group of friends swarmed around them, placing kisses upon her cheek as they gave her their congratulations. She had never seen so many people smiling before. It was a surprise to see so many people happy for them. Their relationship meant the world to the both of them, she didn't realize that it had become a talisman for other people.
As Sheldon was telling her when he clasped both of her hands in his, their union gave other people hope. Getting married today showed them what could happen if they took a chance, that it was possible to find something solid to hold onto in this crazy mixed up world. His words meant a lot to Grace, it showed his faith not only in her but in love as well.
Everybody here was showing their support by celebrating this marriage and Grace knew as she was pulled into yet another spirited hug, that no matter what happened these people were her family and it would stay like that until the end of time.
"You should see your faces." Adam said peering at them from behind his Iphone as he snapped another picture.
Grace wasn't sure how it happened but somewhere along the way he had become the designated wedding photographer. She hadn't thought about taking pictures when they had decided to take this leap, she was glad that Adam had taken the task upon himself. She wanted something special to remember this day by, also a wedding album may just pacify her mother enough so that the woman would start speaking to her again.
Grace knew the fall out their little wedding would cause when her mom did find out. She had envisioned something overblown and costly for the day her only daughter got hitched. She had tried telling her mother for years that she wasn't the kind of girl that wore dresses and studied ballet. Her entire life had been a battle, fighting and compromising with the woman in order to make her own choices.
In high school she attended track meets and baseball games instead of the drama and dance lessons her mother hoped for. She took after her father for her athletic headstrong streak and he was supportive and proud of her nature. Grace knew he would understand the reasoning behind her actions today, it was her mom she was worried about. The woman had a temper to be rivalled with.
"Getting everybody here was an act of God on my part no?" Danny said, grasping Grace's hand in his and guiding her through the rabble of people to the front of the bar.
"I have no idea how you managed it Messer but I am very impressed." Grace told him as he placed his calloused hands upon her shoulders lightly and angled her to face the table that the team had gathered around.
Grace burst out laughing at the sight before her. The cake in front of her was clearly a DIY job, she guessed that Danny had purchased a large Victoria sponge cake and a smaller one to place on top. On the very peak of the home made wedding cake there were two Lego Policemen with their arms raised up in the air as if in cheer.
"This has you written all over it Danny." Grace smirked as she shook her head. "You do know that's two men on the top there?"
"The toy store doesn't stock Lego girls." Danny informed her, wrapping his toned arm around her shoulders, drawing her into a one armed hug. "Anybody looking at you right now Gracie can see you are anything but a guy."
Grace placed a butterfly kiss upon Danny's stubbly cheek as he embraced her.
"Thank you for all this." she murmured, his arms wrapping around her body and squeezing her tightly as the two of them stayed like that for a moment.
"You two deserve the best." he said quietly, his mouth next to her ear.
She understood the emotion behind those words as he spoke. The three of them had been as thick as thieves in the earlier years. It had always been her, Danny and Don out on the town, in the bar, at sports games. They had had each others backs over the years in both a professional and personal capacity, they knew each other's secrets and they had talked about their downfalls.
Danny was her secret keeper as much as she was his, she would never tell anybody how she had pestered Danny into getting help after Ruben had been killed. The two of them would never talk about the night she had found him on the roof of his building with his gun in his hand as he contemplated ending it all because his guilt was crippling him. Just like Danny would never mention the day he found her in tears of despair, sobbing in the locker room after the explosion Don had been caught up in. They had seen each other at their weakest and in the end that bonded the two of them for life.
"Thank you." she whispered as her eyes grew moist at the sincerity of his words.
She drew away sniffing, putting a hand over her mouth to prevent the surge of raw emotion that overwhelmed her. Danny's thumb chased away a stray tear as Grace struggled to compose herself.
"Hey now, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life." he said softly, his cornflower blue eyes fixing on hers as a small smile marred his lips.
"It is." she murmured, flapping her hand in front of her face in a bid to stop the tears. "I just can't believe how blessed I am."
"When I look at the two of you, I can't help wanting what you have." Danny said, leaning back against the bar as his eyes landed on his friend as the other man kinked glasses with some of the guys from his squad.
"Your worth it you know." Grace said softly as her hand came to rest on his arm. Danny stared down at it as her thumb smoothed across his bare wrist. "I know you think your not but trust me any woman you choose to settle down with will be lucky to have you."
"Do you ever wonder why the two of you didn't get it together before? I mean six years, I don't understand how the two of you didn't get wild and crazy in that time." Danny responded changing the subject.
"Bad timing." Grace told him as the bartender offered her a glass Malibu and Lemonade on the house. "When he kissed me that night at the bar I wasn't ready. Jack had just left for San Francisco, Don was still reeling from the Truby case and then the thing with the Wilder Gang..." Grace trailed off as her gaze lingered on Danny's fingers at the memories of that day. "There was never time."
"You made it though." Danny reminded her as he held out his glass in toast.
Grace kinked her glass against his.
"We made it."
The choices were limited as Danny scoped through the songs on the jukebox. He wanted Don and Grace to have a song that the two of them would appreciate, one that that wasn't a cliché so they could remember today fondly. He pressed the button skimming through the songs quickly before flicking to the next disk dissatisfied. His cornflower blue eyes settled on a Lifehouse song he remembered from a life time ago. It had been something Aiden had used to play in their time together and he thought it must be a sign since he had never noticed it in the jukebox before now.
He inserted the coin before making the song selection and traipsing back to the table where their group were gathered around. He tapped each member of the couple on the shoulder, claiming their attention before indicating towards the empty space in front of the jukebox.
"It's time for your first dance." Danny announced.
Grace tilted her head towards Don, uncertainty flickering in her grey eyes as he took her hand in his and he rose to his feet. Grace wasn't a good dancer and he knew she had a hell of a lot of reservations about embarrassing herself in front of their friends.
"It'll just be you and me doll." he reassured her in a hushed voice as he led her towards the dance floor.
"I'm going to embarrass you." she told him outright. "Last time I danced like this was at Prom and I sucked at it then too."
"Don't worry I got you." Don murmured into her ear as he drew her close to him.
His hand was warm and reassuring on her waist as her free hand came to rest upon his shoulder. They began to sway together as the music began to play. Don's face was barely inches away from hers as she met his startling blue gaze. Every single tension she held drained from her body as his hips moved against hers.
"It just feels weird dancing with so many people watching." Grace admitted, surprising herself with a laugh as Don twirled her.
"But now your starting to have fun right?" he asked her with an arched eyebrow and a devil may care smile.
"You were right you are a good dancer." Grace complimented, her fingers linking at the back of his neck as his hands caressed her lower back through the material of her dress.
"Whenever I hear this song it makes me think of you." Don confessed, bending his dark head close so she could see the earnest expression upon his handsome features.
Nothing else mattered any more. There was only the two of them moving together in this moment caught up in each other. Grace couldn't describe the torrent of feelings that was raging through her at this very moment. There was so much love in Don's eyes as he looked at her. The sensation of this experience, of being married to him was fulfilling in a such a way she had never imagined it possible. She had never considered herself as possessive but in this very second she could see her own thoughts reflected in him. He was hers and she was his. Nothing could change that now. She would protect and adore him with every inch of her being.
"You know whenever I thought about this it was always with you." she found herself confiding. "I could never see myself with anyone else even before the two of us got it together"
"I know, whenever you looked at me I could see it in your eyes. I always knew Grace. I was just too scared to do anything about it." Don confessed, a tiny smile twitching at his lips as he thought of those days. "We thought we knew everything back then. We were morons."
"I know it makes me happy when you call me your wife." Grace informed him with a smile that made her entire face light up.
Don never wanted it to end. The contentment he felt was undeniable. He hadn't been this happy in years and he knew it was because of the strong, tenacious woman residing in his arms, the one he was proud to call his wife.
Hey guys! If there was ever a song that defines Don and Grace as a couple it is 'All In' by Lifehouse, your in for a treat if you have a listen to that song. This chap is the end of the wedding instalment, it's been fun but Don and Grace have case files piling up on their desks. Despite what people may think this is not the end of the story, there is still a lot more to tell!
BTW, does anyone read these author notes? I just had to stop myself from writing a huge explanation why there's been no Danny and Grace friendship until now lol!
Special thanks to Nat for the song and of course those words to wisdom!
Lov: In the generation of social networking I thought that is the kinda thing Adam would do to celebrate such a momentous occasion in his friend's lives. Lmao I think Grace probably broke into a cold sweat at the wedding mags her mother was forcing upon her. I would probs marry if the right person came along and if it was important to them. To me it's not such a huge deal. A lot of my friends are in the soon to be engaged stages of their relationships and I'm happy for them!
Rice: Hello again! I was genuinely surprised by how well that turned out. It's more about the marriage for these two. Fingers crossed there will be a lot more chapters coming up.
Running: You find out in the next chap how her mother finds out, its a small mention. Lol The wedding may be over but defo not the story.
Lori: It's nice to see you again! I am very glad your enjoying it. I feel like its my best yet! Thanks for taking the time to review.
Pheo: lol short and sweet as I am told! I hope you enjoyed this chap!
Bel: lol He made the reception and the bizarre wedding cake happen. He's very protective of his friends and their marriage and that's what I like about Danny! I hope you didn't have to wait too long!
Sch: lol I could see Grace rolling off those statistics and of course Don as a bachelor without a cause. I wanted to show their situation was unique to the both of them. You can already kind of see the role they play in each others lives and fingers crossed I don't think marriage will change that. I've never written a successful marriage before so lets keep our fingers crossed. Apologises for the short chapter, I am very used to working section by section. Your review lit up my day as always! You inspired me to write today!
Sam: I could see him doing that as well as his kind of way of celebrating their marriage. He loves his friends and he wants peeps to see them happy. Lmao the banter between the two of them is what makes them fun to write!
O'Dell: Hi! It's nice to meet you! I'm glad you enjoying this story and I do apologise the chapter was too short, combined with the other chaps it would have been too long so I had to make the best of a pain in the ass situation! Thanks for the review and I hope you keep reading!