A/N: The chapter we've all been waiting for! A quick copyright message: I chose the keep Stef and Lena's original vows from the TV show - so I do not own them!
Wedding Day
Lena's eyes flutter open as she feels a pair of soft lips against the bare skin of her shoulder. Smiling, the curly haired woman rolls over in Stef's arms, trailing her fingers down the blonde woman's cheek.
"Good morning," Stef smiles, pressing kisses to Lena's slender fingers.
"Good morning," Lena beams. Today was their wedding day! She could hardly contain the excitement bubbling up inside her.
"I love you so much," Stef breathes, studying every part of Lena's gorgeous face. How had she managed to convince this breathtaking woman to marry her? Somedays, Lena still felt so unreal to Stef.
"I love you too," Lena says, wrapping her arms around the blonde woman and pressing their bodies together. With their breasts pressed together, Lena brushes her lips against Stef's, savoring her taste. Passion ignites inside Stef as Lena's fingers play with her short hair. The shorter woman tangles her fingers into Lena's dark, curly hair, increasing the intensity of her lips.
"Stef," Lena says, barely breaking their kiss. She knows where this will lead if she doesn't stop it soon. "We don't have time for this." They both needed to get some breakfast and head off to get ready for the day. Lena hears Stef groan as the blonde woman trails her fingers from her curly hair to the small of her back.
"We have to go get ready." Lena tells her. "For our wedding."
"Hmmm, that's right, our wedding." Stef smiles.
"Our wedding," Lena repeats.
"How are you feeling, darling?" Dana asks, sitting beside her daughter in the hair salon. Dana was in the middle of having her hard to tame hair straightened, while makeup was applied to her daughter's face.
"A little nauseous," Lena admits with a chuckle. After breakfast this morning, she and Stef had split up to get themselves ready for the day. While the curly haired woman was excited to see Stef's face when she saw her in her dress for the first time, she wished that her bride-to-be was there to help calm her nerves.
"That's completely normal." Dana tells her daughter with a smile. "The day I married your father, I was a complete wreck. And I wouldn't change any of it for the world."
"Thank you for being here with me," Lena says to her mother, reaching through the gap between their chairs to take her mother's hand in hers.
"Oh darling, there is nowhere else in the universe that I would rather be." Dana replies, squeezing her daughter's hand tightly.
Stef studies herself in the full body mirror of the hotel room. She is dressed in her personally tailored white slacks, white blazer, and white button up shirt. Her light blonde hair is mildly styled with a cream pomade; not too much, but just enough that her hair won't misbehave during the wedding and the photography stint after. In less than an hour, she would be standing on the beach altar, waiting to marry the love of her life.
"Are you decent?" Sharon calls after a couple of soft knocks.
"Hey mom," Stef says with a smile. Her mother is dressed in a knee length floral print dress, her hair freshly dyed an orangey-red.
"Are you all ready?" Sharon asks, taking in her daughter's appearance. She still wished that she had changed her mind and worn a dress, but today was not a day to rehash that argument.
"I think so," Stef replies, nerves building in her stomach as she turns away from the mirror.
"You look beautiful, Stephanie." Sharon says, embracing her daughter.
Stef stands anxiously at the altar, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she stands on the white sand of Seagrove Park at L'Auberge Del Mar Resort. Friends and family are seated in white, wooden chairs, creating an aisle between them that Lena would soon be walking down. The altar was formed by a flower covered arch standing ten feet in front of the chairs. It was a cooler June day in San Diego, a gentle breeze coming in off of the nearby ocean.
As "Canon in D" begins playing, the murmuring crowd hushes and necks turn to see Lena appearing with her father at the far end of the aisle. Stef's heart stills in her heart, the breath in her lungs dissipates, her mouth goes suddenly dry; she had never seen a sight as beautiful as Lena in her wedding dress. The floor length, lace material hugs her body perfectly. Her curly, brown hair is tied up atop her head. All Stef can focus on is the ethereal angel steadily gliding across the sand towards her.
Lena and Stewart reach the altar. Stewart whispers something into his only daughter's ear that makes her smile before taking his seat beside Dana in the front row of seats. Standing on the opposite side of the altar, facing Stef, tears spring to Lena's eyes already. Stef looked more dazzling than she had even imagined in her specially tailored white suit.
"Welcome, friends and family." The officiant begins. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Stephanie Marie Foster and Lena Elizabeth Adams. We are here to support their commitment of love and share in their joy as they choose to spend the rest of their lives together." Stef thinks back to her decision to be her most authentic self, which led her to this impossibly happy moment. "Stef, Lena, your marriage will be a lifelong promise to love, respect, trust, and honor each other through the good, the bad, and the unexpected." Lena thinks back to nine months ago when the most unexpected thing had happened - Stef's shooting. It had been the most difficult part of their relationship thus far, but it had only made them stronger. "This union represents your commitment to support one another as individual beings but share your joys, sorrows, and dreams as one. A strong bond works in unison not only to nurture the best parts of your personalities, but to understand each other's differences and flaws. You are committing to learn how to grow alongside one another while remembering to keep an open mind throughout your journey." Both women knew that there would be things they would butt heads over during the course of their hopefully many years of marriage. "Today, you gain an equal partner that will be your confidant, your defender and your motivator through all of your aspirations and goals. You will celebrate each accomplishment, provide peace through every setback and most importantly, give love in life's both big and little moments." There were so many things the two wanted to experience together. "You are creating a new home where love, trust and loyalty are the foundation. No matter what the future throws your way, rely on those foundations and you shall only see your bond grow stronger and your souls grow wiser." The officiant pauses and smiles reassuringly at Stef and Lena. "The couple would now like to exchange their personal vows. Lena." The officiant nods to the curly haired woman.
"Stephanie Marie Foster, you're a piece of work but you're my piece of work, I accept you. Every single thing that makes you who you are, from now until the end of time, I love you." Lena vows to the love of her life, tears forming in her chocolate brown eyes as she clutches Stef's hands. The blonde woman wipes her cheeks quickly before reciting her own vows.
"Lena, you're the person I've been waiting for my whole life and I am so proud to be standing up here, in front of our friends and family, to make sure they know just how lucky I feel to have found you and just how much I love you." Lena knew how momentous this was, for Stef to admit to everyone important in their lives just how much she loved her. Lena would never cease to be amazed at the blonde woman's strength and courage, overcoming the adversary of homophobia in her own home growing up. The officiant produces two simple, white gold wedding bands from her pocket.
"Stephanie Marie Foster, with this ring, I promise to love and cherish you forever, until death do us part." Lena recites, slipping the white gold band onto Stef's left ring finger as tears of happiness trickle down her cheeks.
"Lena Elizabeth Adams, with this ring, I promise to love and cherish you forever, until death do us part." Stef repeats, sniffling back her tears.
"I now pronounce you Mrs. and Mrs. Adams Foster." The officiant exclaims. "You may now kiss the bride."
Their faces breaking into matching smiles, Stef and Lena bring their lips together in a gentle kiss as the crowd of family and friends in front of them cheers exuberantly. Breaking their kiss, the two women walk hand in hand back down the aisle, as wife and wife.
A/N: Next up, the reception! PAR-TAY!
