Preparations

"I just don't know if I even want him there." Stef tells Dr. Fullman. Winter and Spring in San Diego had passed in a blink of an eye and now June was upon them. It was less than two weeks until Stef would be saying "I do" to Lena on their wedding day. "I love Lena with all my heart. I want to marry her. But when I think about our wedding, about my dad being at our wedding, I feel all of this shame."

"Shame for what?" Dr. Fullman pushes. After almost two years of being in therapy with Dr. Fullman, Stef was used to her pushiness. She was constantly pushing Stef to dig deeper into her past and the things that plagued her.

"Shame for being in love with another woman. Shame for having sex with another woman. Shame for living my life with another woman." Stef explains, tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"When you feel this shame, is it your voice?" Dr. Fullman asks.

"I don't understand." Stef replies, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Who's voice do you hear when you feel that shame? Is it yours? Or is it your father's?" Dr. Fullman repeats. When Stef remains silent, she continues. "I think you need to do a lot of introspection before your wedding. You need to look inside yourself and listen to that shameful voice in your head. Determine whose voice it is and address it."

Five days later, Stef is sitting in her car, outside her father's condo, her heart pounding like a hammer inside her chest. She knew what she needed to do. It was the only way that she was going to be able to actually enjoy her wedding day. And she so desperately wanted to be able to enjoy her wedding day. Stef takes a deep breath and knocks on her father's door.

"Stef," Frank says in surprise. She was the last person he expected to see on his doorstep today. He hadn't seen his daughter since she was lying, unconscious, in the hospital last August.

"Hey, dad." Stef says curtly. She didn't really have the heart for pleasantries today.

"So, why the drop by?" Frank asks, stepping to the side to let Stef into the apartment.

"I've been really embarrassed," Stef says. "About my wedding. There's a voice in my head that keeps telling me that what we're doing is wrong - two women getting married, promising to love each other forever." Stef continues, not giving her father a chance to interrupt her. "How messed up is that? I love Lena and the life that we're creating together. But there's this voice that keeps reminding me that this wedding is wrong." Stef's voice cracks as tears trickle from her eyes and down her cheeks. But she can't stop now. She needs to get it all out before she loses her nerve. "And I finally realized that the voice in my head, it's not my voice, it's your voice, dad. It's your voice - and, and I'm done listening to it. And I don't want that voice at my wedding. I don't want it there, dad, and - I don't want you there." Tears stream down the blonde woman's face. "So, if you can't get behind this wedding one hundred percent, then I don't think you should come." Stef stands in front of her father, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Finally getting the words out makes her feel more confident and sure of herself, like a black veil of shame has been lifted from around her. Without giving her father a chance to reply, Stef turns away and walks out the door.

"Are you getting nervous?" Kelly asks Lena as the two women sip their champagne. The early summer air of San Diego was warm against Lena's bare shoulders, a light breeze coming in off the Pacific Ocean.

"A little." Lena admits. "But mostly I'm just excited." Tomorrow, she would be marrying the love of her life. Lena looks across the beach, where Stef is chatting with Mike and her father, and her heart flutters. As if sensing Lena's eyes on her, Stef looks over and her hazel green eyes meet Lena's chocolate brown eyes. With a soft smile, Stef excuses herself from her conversation and crosses the sand to Lena.

"Hey, baby." Stef says, giving Lena a quick peck on her full lips.

"Hi," Lena replies. "Should we get this party started?" The curly haired beauty asks, referring to their rehearsal dinner. Together, Stef and Lena gather their close friends and family beneath the large gazebo on the beach.

"I can't believe your father didn't come," Sharon says in disgust, shaking her head.

"Mom, I asked him not to." Stef admits.

"Why would you do such a thing?" Sharon inquires.

"Because I know he doesn't support mine and Lena's marriage. And I don't want anyone here tonight or tomorrow that doesn't want to be there - that doesn't want to celebrate our love with us." Stef tells her mother. It hadn't been an easy decision. She had always imagined her father would be there at her wedding. But she wouldn't let the best day of her life be ruined - not by anyone.

Everyone not actively involved in the wedding takes their seats beneath the gazebo, where dinner will be served after a quick rehearsal. Stef and Lena had decided that they didn't want anyone to stand up with them at the altar - other than their officiant. For legal purposes, Mike and Kelly would be signing their marriage license as their two witnesses. Stef stands awkwardly at the pretend "altar" dressed in her black slacks and dark blue button down. Down the aisle, Lena and her father are smiling and laughing. It warms Stef's heart to see the two interact. Lena's parents were the most supportive people that Stef had ever encountered in her entire life. The love they harbored for their daughter - and by extension, Stef - was complete and entire.

As "Canon in D" begins playing, Lena links her arm with her father's and begins her practice journey down the aisle. Stef had tried to get her to choose a less traditional bridal entrance song, but Lena liked the traditional stuff. Traditions had meaning behind them, and Lena loved that. When Lena and Stewart reach the makeshift altar, Stewart kisses his daughter on the cheek and steps to the side. The officiant goes through her speech, highlighting how Stef and Lena met for a funny anecdote, and the wives-to-be practice the vows they will repeat to each other tomorrow.

"Are we saving the personal vows for tomorrow?" The officiant asks.

"Yes," both women answer in unison. They both wanted their personal vows to be a surprise.

"Well, then this would be when I pronounce you as wife and wife, and you would walk back down the aisle." The officiant smiles at the two women. "Now go get some food and enjoy your night."

As the purple, sunset filled sky turns to navy blue speckled with bright stars, Stef and Lena eat and drink and enjoy the company of their closest friends and family. Jenna kept trying to convince Mike and Stef to go out to a strip club after the rehearsal dinner. Stef thought that the brunette woman had lost her mind - since her own wife, Kelly, was standing right beside her. Jenna and Kelly had tied the knot six months ago, opting for a quicker courthouse ceremony than the big, extravagant wedding that Lena had practically begged Stef for. How could Stef say no to the curly haired beauty? The air growing chilly and their guests beginning to disperse, Stef and Lena decide to head home. With their fingers intertwined with each other's, the two women walk across the sand of the beach, knowing they would be returning tomorrow to profess their love for each other and join their two separate lives as one.

A/N: The wedding is coming up next chapter! So, if you have any last minute honeymoon suggestions or anything, let me know in the comments! 3