Disclaimer: See prologue chapter

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Chapter 52

Getting Ready

Mitchie lay curled up in the middle of her bed, unaware of the eyes that sat on the one opposite her watching her. There was a small smile playing on her lips as even asleep, she knew that today was one of the most important days of her life. There was also a sense of peace about her welcoming the next stage of what had already been an eventful history.

The hand bearing her engagement ring lay on the pillow in front of her face, the gems glinting in the early morning sunshine and sending rainbows around the room. It was almost as if nature herself was having a silent disco party to celebrate the events that were about to happen that day.

Around the sleeping girl, people began to bustle about, preparing and airing clothes. Caitlyn was made to sit at the door to ensure that none of the male member (specifically one by the name of Shane Grey) came nowhere in the vicinity of the cabin.

Around the camp, the flowers that had been especially chosen were being put into their prospective places. Members of Connie's wait staff were also placing ribbons around almost everything in the camp leading to the dock from the relevant cabins and the dining hall. Quiet laughter and soft chatter could be heard intermingling with the early morning bird song and at one point with the sound of a solo guitar coming from the direction of where the boys were all confined.

Louise and Violet were down on the dock at the altar, setting up the table with flowers, cloth and small cross.

"My son is getting married today." Violet said suddenly out of the blue. "My little boy is no longer a little boy."

"At least you know, you are going to adore your new daughter." Louise smiled as she adjusted one of the veiled walls that had come lose slightly before coming to her friend's side and wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "And it's time that we got back to her to help the preparations of the day."

"I take it Connie's bringing her breakfast." Violet replied as they started to walk slowly to the cabin where as far as they knew, Mitchie was most probably still sleeping. (They had all agreed that she should be allowed to do so for as long as possible considering the long day and evening ahead.)

"Do you really think that Connie would allow anyone else to make her daughter's breakfast on her wedding day?" Louise laughed as they quickened their pace. "We did agree to give her our individual gifts now as well."

Violet smiled at that, thinking of all the secrecy that had gone into keeping their gifts hidden from each other as well as Mitchie. "This is going to be rather fun."

"I think we are going to see shades of red that we've never seen before." Louise laughed softly, the early morning atmosphere and the importance of the day more conducive to quiet sounds. "And there's Connie now with breakfast."

"Time to wake the beautiful bride," Violet said with a smile.

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Mitchie yawned slightly and then stretched, only to pause in the middle of it as the scent of her favourite breakfast came floating across the room. Seconds later she was sitting up straight, eyes open wide and smiling at the sight before her.

All six feminine members of her family were standing opposite her bed, Connie holding a bed tray with waffles strawberries and cream, oh and a small pot of maple syrup. The others were all holding boxes of some sort.

"Good morning, Bride." Elizabeth moved forward and sat down beside her granddaughter, bending down to kiss her cheek, "And to sound extremely Hallmark, Happy Wedding Day."

Mitchie laughed at that and threw her arms around her grandmother. "Love you too nana, always."

"Alright, we have two things going on now, Mitch." Connie stepped forward and placed the tray on her lap, bending down to place a kiss in her hair. "First, you need to eat your breakfast and all of it please."

"And then you get to open presents up from just us." Deanna added as she sat down on the end of the bed, a reminiscent smile on her own face until she caught the look on Mitchie's face. "Yes, Mitch, there are going to be presents today."

"I'm going to end up crying at some point during today and that's before we've even get to the wedding, aren't I." Mitchie said with a laugh.

"I think we all are." Caitlyn murmured as she curled up on her own bed, wiping away a tear as she did so much to their amusement. "You're leaving me all alone in the single club, Mitch."

"You leave it in your own time, Cait." Mitchie replied, wrinkling her nose at her. "So..." She took a bite of waffle. "Am I the only one eating breakfast this morning by the way or will you be joining me. I feel like a zoo animal at the moment."

That had them all laughing and Connie went to the door to let the servers in with several trays of food. "We have our orders ladies, time to chow down."

As soon as they had eaten, (and her tray had been taken away), Mitchie sat back against her pillows and looked up at them all. "So..."

"Here sweetheart," Violet stepped forward and handed her a long slender box. "I think you know what this is and I don't really have to tell you."

Mitchie took the watch and quickly slipped the ribbon off, sliding the box top off. Inside was a slender, elegant lady's Rolex in platinum with diamonds in the shape of the numbers. She drew the watch out and turned it over to look at the back. There had been engraved the simple words: 'To our daughter, love is Eternal.'

Mitchie looked up at her, the first tears of the day glistening in her eyes. "Violet, it's beautiful, thank you, I love it." Violet immediately bent down and cupping her cheeks, kissed her forehead.

"Here, Mitch, mine next." Caitlyn bounced up and down on her bed then dropped her small box on Mitchie's bed. Mitchie ripped the paper and ribbon off with little ceremony and then popped the blue Tiffany box open. Inside, nestled again the blue velvet was a silver guitar brooch. "Now you've almost got the full set, sister."

It had Mitchie laughing this time, even as more tears fell. "I love it, Cait."

"Let me fix that for you, girls." Louise said softly as she laid another long box in Mitchie's lap. It was promptly ripped open to reveal another Tiffany box. Inside this one was a bracelet with five silver guitars lying end to end. "Now you really do have the full set, Mitch."

Mitchie reached up and kissed her quickly. "Thank you, Louise, I'll love it forever." She placed the bracelet on her bed next to the broach and watch, stroking them until Connie touched her shoulder, drawing her attention away from them.

"Here mja," Connie handed her a small velvet bag that had her foster daughter looking up at her curiously (but also managed to banish the tears that once again had been congregating in her dark eyes).

Pulling the drawstrings open, Mitchie looked in and promptly blushed. "Connie!"

Caitlyn immediately leapt forward at this and letting the item drop to the bed, burst into laughter. It was a blue garter. Connie immediately smiled, "Something blue."

"Something new," Deanna immediately handed the still blushing Mitchie another bad and sent the poor girl off blushing even more. It was a beautiful set of lingerie in ivory for her to wear under her wedding dress.

Elizabeth sat down on the bed and placed two more gifts in Mitchie's lap. "This will drive away the blush, my darling girl but I'm afraid that it will bring back the tears. This one..." She laid her hand on the first box. "This is your 'something old' and is from your grandmamma Sanchez. This box is your 'something borrowed' and is from me."

"Nana?" Mitchie glanced at her for a second and then opened the first box. Inside was a pair of ivory shoes that were very familiar to her. They were the shoes her grandmother Sanchez had worn at her own wedding and Mitchie had always wanted to wear at her own. "Oh nana!"

Elizabeth ran her fingers down her cheek. "She knew that you always wanted to wear them, darling and asked me to look after them for you. I am so glad that you and she share the size after all this time."

That comment had Mitchie giggling through her tears and she placed the shoes back in the box, before leaning over to place them on the floor. "Don't want to court bad luck at this late stage." She murmured as she straightened again.

She then opened the second box as Elizabeth spoke again. "I had been going to give this to you as you're 'old' but your grandfather had it cleaned and reset for me, so I decided it would be best as your 'borrowed'."

"Nana, not the..." Mitchie sped up and revealed the necklace. "Great-grandmother's diamond necklace, oh nana!" She put the necklace down and threw herself into Elizabeth's arms, tears of happiness falling down her cheeks. "This is just so wonderful."

"Well that my darling girl are just the start of your presents for today. You and Shane will have some more to open tonight at your reception." Elizabeth murmured into her long hair. "Now, I really think that Deanna has a timetable that she would really like to keep to if the day is going to be as perfect for you as we want it to be."

Deanna laughed at that as did Mitchie, wiping away her tears as she did so. "Alright ladies, it is time to start our preparations though, so if everyone can go have their showers then make their way back here so that we can start on everyone's hair, it would be nice." Deanna rose to her feet to start clearing away the paper on Mitchie's bed. "That meant now, people, mush."

Laughter rolled around the cabin as they all disappeared.

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The laughter that was coming from the ladies floated across the camp to where the men where congregated until they were sent to get ready themselves for the wedding.

They were all in a little shock because Jason had turned up with a clipboard bearing a timetable for the day for them – He had promptly told them that any complaints were to be sent to his wife but only if they were sure that they didn't need their heads or any other important bits of their anatomy. They had all shuddered.

"So Shane, last few hours as a single man." Sandy said with a grin. "How are you feeling?"

"Never been happier," Shane replied as he put his hands behind his head. "And if you ever got round to finding someone for yourself, you would now that."

"Burn," Nate grinned as he sat down on the ground beside him with his guitar. "And no, I'm not going to answer any questions on the subject so don't even bother coming back at me." He looked across at Jason who was currently reading the timetable that he had been given by his wife. "So what is our plan for the day, Jase?"

"Apparently we are to keep ourselves on this side of the camp for this morning." Jason replied as he ran his finger down the page. "Lunch will be brought to us by Connie's munchkins and then an hour after that; we're to start getting ready for the ceremony."

He looked up at them, grimacing. "Deanna and Connie will be checking us over when they put our lapel flowers in so we're to be ready on time or..." He shuddered.

"Deanna's really taken to threatening you today, hasn't she Jason." Brown said with a laugh.

"Oh you haven't heard your orders yet, Brown, you have to make sure that the Jensen's are where they need to be and that they come nowhere near the girls." Jason grinned as Brown actually grimaced. Even the good-natured Brown had trouble with the negative nature of the female members of the family and for once showed it.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your wife recently, Jason?" Steve grinned as he sat back against a tree. "So have any other orders for the day other than the ones that you've just given us?"

"Yes, we're to stay out of trouble or we won't like the punishment she'll have the ladies dream up for us." Jason replied as he finally put the clipboard down. "Oh and Shane, you are not allowed to text or phone Mitchie either..."

As he saw Shane about to protest, he held up his hand. "I know that's what you and Mitch agreed last night, but nana and Connie put their foot down on this one. They're letting Mitchie know after some sort of secret present giving."

"And there goes his good mood." His father murmured with a laugh as his son's face fell. "Don't worry about it Shane, just remember that after today, you get to text and phone Mitchie without interference for the rest of his life."

"Oh you're funny Dad, real funny." Shane pushed his father's shoulder. "Try to remember that after today, Mitchie is free to torment you as much as she torments Jason, Steve and Alexander. She's been holding back up to now."

"I'm not sure whether to be happy or worried about that." Trevor grimaced much to the entire company's amusement. "On one hand, she'll be considering me a part of her family; on the other hand..."

"She'll consider you part of her family." Nate laughed as he started to strum absently on his guitar. "And frankly that's trouble."

"You'll live." Sandy laughed as he opened up a book that he had brought with him. "The rest of us are managing to."

"And that's the really worrying bit." Richard murmured as he settled back in his chair and closed his eyes.

It set them all laughing again, laughter that seemed to mingle with the ladies' and set a delightful music running around the camp.

The stage was set – Camp Rock was ready for a wedding.

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The longest chapter of the story and finally the wedding is here.

After that, not many more chapters left to go.

And I'll think about Nate and Cait's story but if I do it, it will be a genuine one shot - no extras.

As always looking forward to seeing what you have to say ;op