Infinity Train: Bryce's Story

by OmegusXIII

Before that fateful night, Bryce Gideon wanted to do everything he can to help his mother and father. But the one night he chose the wrong side of the tracks, Bryce found himself in a train that seems to go on forever. When he encounters Tulip in the same predicament, the two of them must work together to get back home, or be forever stuck in the Infinity Train...

17. The Matchmaking Car

A/N: Hello. :) I'm back at it again. Sorry it took so long, but I had to watch Book Three of Infinity Train to determine where my story could go after Emma's Story. And after that finale, let's just say I'm conflicted. On one hand, I felt that Simon got what he deserved, but on the other, I felt he deserved better. That's just how well-written he is. But you can expect a darker turn in my version of Book Three: "The Apex Predator". It may be a long while before I get it off the ground, though, as I have to take care of the rest of the books. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter I set up. It may not be what some of you had in mind, but I feel this to be a "calm before the storm" type of episode, in which case the storm will be The Ball Pit Car. And that particular chapter will hit HARD. Trust me.

Chapter XVI: The Matchmaking Car

It was one crazy ride after another. They've been through who knows how many cars in the past 4 and a half months. And after all that, their numbers got as close to zero as they could get. From what EVE told them, their numbers are the key to getting back home. And if the cat was to be believed, it was because the train thought they were doing well. And it was from that information that they realized what the Train took them here for. They were here because they needed to be.

The train's whole purpose was to make one reflect on their problems and to encourage them to fix it. Apparently, if they do just that, their numbers would go down. But they never got to know what could happen if they did the opposite. Curious as they were, though, they decided it best not to tempt fate. But the one thing they couldn't figure out for sure was what happens when it gets to zero. For now, the only one who'd know the answer for sure is the Conductor.

Like Tulip's logic stated, every train had one. And considering how far the train itself is, it may very well take a hundred times the 4-and-a-half months they traveled. But for now, they're still going forward, like they've always done. But it's hard not to look back on what they've done to get where they are, especially more so with their most recent car. Tulip and the others were exiting the car that held wedding cakes as far as the eye could see as Bryce looked at his phone. Though, he took a bit of time to look up to Bailey as it was her knowhow that helped charge up his phone despite the lack of his charger.

"Thanks for charging my phone up, Bailey. I was wondering how to do that in this train."

"No problem. I'm just surprised Tulip's hasn't gone dead yet."

Bryce didn't find it too easy to know how. She'd kept it turned off since she got on this train until she got Bobby's number. Thinking back on it, he wondered if she got the chance to talk to him. He wanted to ask that, but it seemed to be intrusive. After putting out the thought of it, Bryce looked back to his phone.

He was looking through the photos he'd taken since he got in this car, by Bailey's recommendation, that is. She's been out of her life for six years, so Bailey figured it was time to make memories; and boy did they make them. In the picture where Penny had cake for the first time, she had a crazy sugar rush that made her hyper like a monkey in a jungle gym. Poor Bailey couldn't catch her, and neither could Tulip or Atticus. When she got her first sugar crash in the next picture, Penny wanted to lay down due to her being tired. So, Tulip, Bryce, Bailey, One-One, Atticus and Ava joined in and did cake angels with her while Rexy held the phone (in which case it was fortunate that Tulip used her multitool to clip them). Then, he took a look at his most recent picture.

It was a shot of him and Tulip acting as the bride and groom (this time, it was One-One's idea). Bailey and Ava were Tulip's best women while Atticus and Rexy were Bryce's best men, Penny was the flower girl, and One-One was holding the camera. The two of them couldn't hide their blushes as they looked into the camera. They didn't exactly dress the part, and the flowers were mainly the pink icing on the cake, but it still looked romantic, nonetheless. In fact, looking at this photo made Bryce blush deeper than beet red. Before he could look longer, Tulip's voice spoke up.

"I think it looks pretty cute."

Her voice made him quickly turn to her, though he had to keep it cool so that he didn't appear too flustered.

"Huh? What does?"

"The two of us standing together like that. It's almost like we were getting married."

Bryce's blush was still present, but it didn't bother him. After all, they did profess how much they loved each other while trapped in their own tapes, though it was to a certain extent. The thought made him smile as he looked at how close they were. Then, he took notice of a certain detail concerning a certain thing.

"Yeah. Almost. Except neither one of us had a ring."

This made Tulip give a short nervous laugh.

"Yeah. Right..."

Contrary to what he thought, Tulip actually did have a ring. She had it since they finished the Arcade Car, thanks to One-One. To think she forgot about it until now. This made the blush even worse as she looked to her backpack before Bailey spoke up.

"Hey! You guys gonna catch up?"

Tulip and Bryce both looked up simultaneously as they responded.

"Uh, yeah! Sure!"

"We'll be right there!"

The couple ran to catch up with the others as Bailey smiled at them. She knew how happy they were with each other. It was exactly like the way she and Aiden were back in the day. The feeling was unmistakable. Penny took notice of her smile and became curious.

"Mommy? What are you smiling for?"

Bailey looked down to her daughter as she replied.

"Oh, nothing. It's just I know that look from anywhere."

"Huh? What look?"

"The same look your father and I had back in the day. If you're older, you'll know what I mean."

As Penny looked at Tulip and Bryce's faces as they gazed to each other with a smile, she began to recall the similarity. Penny didn't need to be older to know what can happen; she saw it herself from her father's tape. This made her widen her eyes as she breathed in a huge gasp, predicting the outcome too quickly as she whispered.

"They're gonna have a baby?"

Bailey giggled at her assumption as she rubbed her head.

"Not yet, sweetie. But they do like each other. Like me and your father did."

"Oh, yeah. But can I ask another question?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything."

"Where do babies come from?"

This made Bailey blush madly before she turned her head away.

"Anything but that. Ask me again when you're older."

While Penny groaned, Tulip laughed a bit at what she overheard behind her, which was right when Penny asked her that feared question. Then, it came to her. She knew as much about where babies come from as much as she did about puberty; she had no clue about either topic whatsoever. It was only a matter of time before she became curious about it herself.

"Huh. Where do babies come from?"

Much as she wanted to know, she also knew that she may not be ready to hear that if Bailey's nervousness was anything to go by. She didn't think the lesson about puberty was needed, either. Tulip knew that there are some things she's not ready for, even with all the experience on the train. But she digressed. Tulip put her hands on the doorknobs and twisted them to open up a new car. What they saw over there wasn't quite what they expected.

---

It had pink clouds for them to stand on, along with a yellow-orange sky that simulated a sunset, and there were little cartoon-like hearts that resembled butterflies of different colors (such as red, scarlet, yellow, green, light blue, and pink) floating around the whole area of the car. Most of the group became confused as they'd never been in such a car. But that didn't stop Penny or One-One from being amazed by such a sight. Even his sad side saw the beauty in them.

"Wow... they look so pretty."

"I know. They're just like cute little butterflies."

"Or they could be like moths that fly towards the light..."

A heart came up near Bailey's face before landing on her nose as it fluttered while Ava tried to be cautious about the situation.

"Maybe. But not every car is what they appeared to be. I think we all learned that after the Chrome Car incident."

Bryce didn't think much of it as he remembered Tabitha's warning prior to entering his next car after adopting Penny.

"Speak for yourself. Tulip, Penny, and I learned that lesson a long time ago."

This made Tulip and Bryce recall a certain masked figure they encountered at the Rainforest Car: Night Shroud. They haven't seen her since then, given that she even survived that fall. It's been well over three months since her last sighting, and that alone was suspicious. What could it mean?

"Speaking of a long time... we haven't seen Night Shroud in months, have we?"

This wasn't a particularly favorite memory of Bryce's. She was the first one to make him so scared and vulnerable. And that was just in Corginia. Who knows what she could be capable of now?

"Yeah. Come to think of it, we haven't seen her since she fell."

The particular topic made Bailey confused. Even with the story Penny told her, she hadn't heard any mention of that figure, though Penny was convinced that she did tell her.

"Who's Night Shroud?"

"You know, that scary lady I was telling you about. She made Bryce so scared at Corginia. But I helped stop her."

"Oh. Sounds like we've got more than just cars to worry about."

Ava couldn't agree more with her as she looked to her.

"And it's all the more reason to keep our eyes out for anything out of the ordinary."

Rexy found it difficult to keep track as a bunch of heart butterflies fluttered around him.

"Uh, Ava, we're surrounded by hearts shaped like butterflies and standing on pink clouds. Everything's out of the ordinary."

"Touché."

Far ahead, Tulip took notice of something in front of her.

"There's that. But what about this?"

It was a building shaped like a big red heart with the words "Cupid's Arrow" on it and a pink, purple, and light red neon sign over the entrance (which is a white curved archway with no doors in the shape of another heart) with an arrow pointing in and on it that says "all sweethearts enter here" written in fancy cursive writing with "guests and walk-ins welcome" below it in normal writing and two silhouetted images of a couple hugging on it. There was also two ground spotlights next to the building swaying like a Hollywood premiere party, and circle windows with hot pink frames on a few sides of the building. Topping it off is a red carpet that leads from the cloud to the enterance area of the building. Tulip and Bryce took notice of the sign and began to blush as the latter spoke first.

"Sweethearts? Really?"

"Yeah, I don't know about this..."

Seeing their hesitation, Bailey walked up behind them and put her hands on their backs.

"Come on, guys. You've been through who knows how many situations before now. What's one more gonna hurt? Besides, you guys are sweethearts, aren't you?"

Bryce and Tulip look to each other with a smile as they blushed. They did love each other enough to be called sweethearts. It shouldn't have to be so embarrassing for them. They did go through a wedding cake car not too long ago. What could possibly happen from this car? Tulip didn't see the harm in it as she spoke.

"Well, it's not like we're getting married on the spot."

"Yeah. That may have to wait a while. I mean, at least we can go in. But, isn't it gonna be a little... weird?"

"Well, yeah, but it's only weird if we make it weird."

Bryce took a moment of consideration. The logic did make sense so far. And the weirdest they've ever been concerning each other was when they're blushing by far, but even that seemed normal. This should be a piece of cake.

"Okay. Fair point."

Tulip and Bryce then walked up to the building as the others followed behind them. They walked on the red carpet as they came up on the entrance. When they got close enough, the door split itself in half before moving like an automatic door to reveal the other side of it, which consisted of a desk up front with a velvet rope blocking the door beside the desk and a few chairs on the side, most likely the waiting room of the building. While they walked into the room, they saw pictures up on the walls that showed a girl with short blonde hair in a blue sweatshirt and another girl with long raven-black hair and a grey long-sleeved shirt each drinking from a straw of their own from a cherry milkshake as they looked to each other while a caption below it said "We're Straw-ger together!" Bailey smiled at the photo as she spoke.

"Aw, that's cute."

Rexy took notice of another photo with Randall going on a tandem bike ride with another Randall on a serene countryside while the caption below that said, "Friendship is water-ful". The idea of it seemed a little odd for him as he spoke.

"Oy. I've heard about people loving themselves, but this is ridiculous."

Then, Bryce took notice of a picture with a young man with black hair and a blue hairline wearing a tuxedo doing a dance with another young man who had dark brown hair and in another tuxedo in a prom setting with the caption below saying, "You're my sweetheart. That's a prom-ise." Bryce found it a bit odd, but personally he had nothing against it as they seemed happy with each other.

"Well, those guys are gay. Good for them."

Penny overheard his words and became confused as she walked over to him.

"What's gay mean?"

Bryce turned to see her and became embarrassed as he realized she didn't know the meaning of the word. Then, he thought about the other definition of the word to use.

"Oh. Um... it means 'happy'. You know, like the song I told you about? 'Don we now our gay apparel'."

Penny was able to recall that particular lyric from the Christmas song a few months back. It was thanks to that the lyric made more sense, as did the word.

"Oh. Yeah. They look really gay."

Happy as Penny looked with the picture, Tulip felt there should be another definition that should be acknowledged. Unfortunately, Penny overheard her grumbling.

"Well, you know that's not the only thing it means."

"Huh? What else is it?"

Bryce looked over to Tulip and made a waving motion with his hands not to tell her before she made a mistake. Fortunately, Tulip caught on early and retracted her remark.

"Never mind. We'll talk later."

The group pressed onward to the front desk where they see a small, chubby man with silver hair in a tuxedo with angel's wings on his back as he oversaw the computer. The figure's appearance confused Penny as she looked up to Bailey.

"What's that, mommy?"

"Oh. Aiden told me about them when you were a baby. That's a Cupid. They're the ones who make people fall in love."

"Wow, really?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that how you and daddy fell in love?"

This made Bailey blush as she held her hand to her head.

"Uh... sure. Let's go with that."

When they got to him, the Cupid was ready to greet them as he looked up to them while he addressed Tulip.

"Welcome to Cupid's Arrow. How can I help you?"

"Uh, hi. We're here to look for the exit door from this car. Can you show us where it is?"

"Of course. Let me just take a look at the list."

Bryce became confused as the Cupid looked through it.

"You have a list?"

"That's right. And, believe me, the thing is quite long. In fact, it's gotten to the point where it's becoming a jumbo paper towel roll. And that's just alphabetically for denizens. That's why there's two."

The cupid opened up a drawer and unveiled two lengthy lists in the forms of a rolls. Tulip gave a sharp inhale before she spoke.

"Yeah... can you just do a quick skim for passengers and denizens?"

"I'll have to ask for the names. First and last, of course. It's a policy, really."

Atticus stepped up as he spoke to the Cupid.

"Well, perhaps we can oblige you. To start, I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrookes. But you may call me Atticus."

Then, Tulip and Bryce went next with the latter acting Bond-esque before Ava, Penny, Bailey, Rexy, and One-One.

"Well, I'm Tulip Olsen."

"The name's Bryce. Bryce Gideon."

His antic made Tulip giggle a bit before the others went next with Penny acting like her older brother did.

"And I'm Penny. Penny Charleston."

"My name's Ava."

"And I'm Bailey Charleston, like Mount Charleston."

"I'm Rexy the Wrecker."

"And I'm One..."

"One."

The Cupid host then looked to the lists again as he kept track.

"Well, you fellows are really going for the alphabet. Now, let's see."

The Cupid then closed the drawer before he typed the names on the keyboard.

"Atticus... Tulip Olsen... Bryce Gideon... et cetera, et cetera... and... there!"

Once he pressed the enter button, the monitor showed most of the names present on the lost as he spoke.

"Ah, there you are. Atticus, Bryce, One-One, Rexy, and Tulip, you are on the list."

The group smiled from hearing this before Bailey, Penny, and Ava realized their names were left out as the first of the three spoke.

"But... you didn't say our names."

"Well, that's because you're not on the list. But you are welcome to get in, nonetheless. Guests and walk-ins are welcome, after all. I'll notify the manager and he'll meet with you shortly."

The Cupid then pushed a red button with a speaker above it before a voice spoke through it.

"What'cha got for me, bellhop?"

"We've got eight patrons here at Cupid's Arrow looking for an exit. Five of them are on the list, and the rest are walk-ins."

"Eight patrons? Well, that's a turnaround. Wait. Are they with the Apex? We're almost done cleaning up after their rowdiness in the Lovebird's Nest. Not that I'm complaining; they really know how to liven things up."

The bellhop looked at the group with a glance as Tulip and Bryce looked to each other in curiosity.

"The Apex? Do you know anything about that?"

"Honestly, no. That's the first I've ever heard about them."

"No, they're not with the Apex. At the very least, they don't look Apex material."

"Alright. Tell them I'll be here in a few seconds. Oh, and be sure to open the velvet rope."

The transmission finished itself as a static came before the bellhop looked to the group and told them the situation while he unlinked the velvet rope.

"The manager will be with you in three, two, one..."

Suddenly, the door threw itself open to show another cupid with a white tuxedo and silver hair in a pompadour style as he flew to Tulip and Bryce with his angel's wings and brought them closer to his head as he spoke boisterously.

"Ta-da! Hello, my friends! And welcome to Cupid's Arrow, the Car of Love!"

The manager flew in-between them and went by the door as he introduced himself.

"My name is Des Ire, and I'm so glad you came by. Please, follow me to the door."

Des began to go through the door while Penny took notice of what he had on his behind: a diaper. The outfit at the bottom confused her as she looked to Bailey.

"How come he's wearing a diaper?"

"Oh, that's just usually how they dress."

The bellhop sighed in agreement with Bailey's theory with Sad One showing his sympathy.

"It's sad, but it's true..."

"Oh, I feel for you."

When they got in the other side, the group was met with a fancy setting. It had classical and fancy decorations one would usually find at a wedding. There were plain white banners that held no words, white cloth covered tables, pink streamers, pink and red roses in vases on the tables, and fold out chairs. And in the middle of the Cupid's Arrow is a big white gazebo with a wooden podium that had a microphone on it. Near it on the left is a few clouds flowing a hot pink liquid on each other and ending on a small lake area held up with rocks to keep from spilling. And on the right of it was a big heartshaped device with lights around it called "Love Match". The designs were practically flawless as the group gasped in awe, something Des appreciated, though he wasn't lost on what they came here for as he turned to Tulip.

"I know. Beautiful, huh? Of course, I understand that you're looking for an exit."

"Well, uh, yeah. Can you show us where it is?"

"Why, it's right over there. But I'll have to warn you in advance that it's locked."

Des pointed to his right where the exit door is. Above it was a small television screen. And beside the exit door on its right was a heart-shaped door with a sign above it that said, "The Lovebirds' Nest" in cursive writing. And it led to a room that held a pink heart-shaped bed in low candle lighting with rose petals around it, as well as a cupid placing a fancy glass of red liquid on a table beside the bed and rose petals before Penny became curious and tried to address Des.

"Uh, Mr. Des?"

"Yes?"

"What's in that room?"

"That? Oh, yeah. That'll be 'The Lovebird's Nest'. It's for when two people love each other enough to... well, I assume two of you get the picture."

Des then winked to Bryce and Bailey before the two of them blushed, making Penny wanting to know as she turned to them before she asked, only for Bailey to answer quickly.

"Get what picture?"

"It's actually more of an adult thing, Penny. Ask me again when you're older, okay?"

While Penny groaned, Des continued to speak to them while simultaneously getting Penny's attention again.

"Aw, but don't let that get you down. There's another thing you can try here."

"Really? What's that?"

"Allow me to introduce you to... the Love Match game!"

While Des gestured to the machine they saw before by the gazebo, Ava became curious about the design as the group walked over to it while Des flew by them.

"Love Match?"

"It's easy. All you have to do is step up in line of its camera, get your picture taken, and it'll determine how compatible you are with each other. And the best part? Depending on the score you get, you get a prize to go with it! Isn't it exciting?"

Tulip wanted to verify Des's word to be safe. After all, the last two things that seemed simple turned out to be way more complicated and harrowing. She's had enough of that for two lifetimes, and she could only live one.

"You're sure? It's not gonna suck us in, is it?"

"Nah. It'll just take a quick pic. It's perfectly safe."

One-One was quick to speak up as he split himself up and raised his stubs, catching Des's attention.

"Ooh! Ooh! I want my picture taken!"

"It better not give me any red eyes..."

"Well, the ayes have it!"

Des quickly picked up both sides of One-One and set him on the path of the camera at the top of the machine as it angled down diagonally while Des spoke.

"Now, just stay perfectly still and let the camera take a good snap at you."

While they were still, Sad One turned to his Glad side as he spoke monotonously.

"Just watch: we'll probably be incompatible..."

"Probably, but opposites do attract, don't they?"

"Good point..."

Just then, the camera flashed before showing a picture on the monitor of both sides of One-One in the camera's range before a loading screen came up. When it was finished, it gave out a score on the monitor that was a five out of ten. Des winced as he spoke to the robot, making Sad One give a sigh.

"Well, that's a disappointment."

"I knew we'd get a low rating..."

"It doesn't seem that low to me. In fact, it might be half-full."

"Yeah, but it's half-empty, too..."

With the demonstration made, Des went over to the robot as he spoke while handing One-One a miniature figure of Cupid's Arrow with a plaque that said "single and ready to mingle".

"Aw, don't worry about it. You actually get a runner-up prize. You're welcome to this commemorative Cupid's Arrow statue and plaque, free of charge."

Despite having obtained the prize, Sad-One only gave a sigh while Glad-One giggled a bit before Des smiled at Tulip again as he spoke.

"See? Perfectly safe."

With the evidence presented so far, Tulip was convinced. One-One got to have a picture, and he didn't get sucked in or stuck inside a mirror. As long as neither of those happen, she didn't see the harm in it.

"Well, the price is right."

It was more than Bryce could say as he began to sweat a little bit. And Bailey didn't appear to be so happy, either as Penny looked up to her. She had a sad frown upon her face. Penny knew that look since she first met her after six years. Something must be bothering her.

"What's wrong, mommy?"

Bailey snapped out of her frown, but her voice couldn't completely hide how sad she was.

"Oh, sorry. I I was just thinking about your father. He would've loved this..."

Des overheard Bailey's words and flew over to her as he spoke softly in sympathy. He knew what that past tense implied, and he didn't want a sad customer.

"You had a husband? What happened to him?"

"Well... I don't know. That's the whole problem. I haven't seen him since my car turned into a wasteland for six years. No one knows what happened to him."

Des places his hand on her shoulder to help reassure her as he spoke.

"I am so sorry for your loss."

"No. I-It's fine. I just wish I could know for sure that Aiden's out there..."

Tulip and Bryce looked to Bailey and tried to help her out of her funk.

"It's okay, Bailey. Maybe we will find him someday."

"Yeah. We'll be there for you if you need us. You know that, right?"

Bailey gave a small smile to them before she replied softly while Des began to get intrigued by their affection.

"Yeah. Thanks, guys."

"Ooh. Patient, caring, and supportive? I think we just found our next volunteers for the Love Match machine."

Des flew beside Bryce and Tulip and quickly easing them towards the machine.

"Come on and step right up, you little sweethearts."

With a blush appearing on his face, Bryce felt as though he was being rushed into it, or at very least, literally pushed into it. Tulip didn't see the harm in getting the picture, however, since nothing out of the ordinary happened when One-One's picture was taken.

"Uh, I don't know about this..."

"It'll be okay, Bryce. We're just getting a picture. It's no big deal."

Despite this, Bryce still moved away from Des' hand and tried to explain himself as Tulip began to show a bit of concern.

"Um, about that..."

"What's wrong?"

"I never told you this, but I didn't exactly have the best picture days."

Des didn't see any need to worry about it as he replied to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We can always fix it at the editing."

"That's what they always say. But every time they edit it, it always got worse. Like when I got my first picture at elementary school back in Minnesota."

This piqued Tulip and Penny's curiosity as they asked different questions to him.

"Wait. You're from Minnesota?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly born in Chicago. We had to move there after what happened."

"But what's an Elementary School?"

"I-It's like a school for little kids, Penny. Anyway, when picture day came and I got my picture I was so excited. That is, until I got the picture. I had red eyes from the flash."

Ava became puzzled over that as she pondered aloud.

"That's it? Just because you had red eyes?"

"That would've been fine, Ava, but when I got my picture, I looked like my eyes were pulled out. Apparently, someone had it out for me and hijacked the photo to make me look like a monster. I know because there was a death threat on the back of the picture when I got it. My parents took that threat seriously and tried to find whoever made that letter, and the fact that I was called 'dead-eye' in class didn't help. When they found out who did it, they filed a lawsuit, but it didn't work. Rather than put up with a school calling me names, we had to move to Chicago, and... I haven't gone to a picture day ever since."

Tulip found it hard to believe from their last car where they took photos.

"But... you seemed fine when we had all those pictures in the last car."

"Of course I was. Because they were taken by the people I trust. And besides, it's one thing to use a phone for a picture, but this? I'm getting the feeling that it's gonna happen all over again... and you being next to me would only make it worse."

There was a small moment of silence as the group felt bad for him. However, Rexy didn't find it necessary.

"Of, come on! It's just a stupid pic—!"

Before Rexy could finish, Atticus pounced on him and put his paw on his mouth to clam him up, only for him to speak through his muffled mouth.

"It's rude to interrupt, you know."

"But nobody was saying anything!"

Tulip went over to Bryce and put her hand on his face, making him look to her as she spoke softly.

"Hey. It's gonna be okay. Nobody's out to get you here. We can pretend it's like the pictures we took in the last car. It'll be just the two of us."

This made Bryce's blush appear on him again as he repeated her words.

"Just the two of us?"

"Yeah. I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

Bryce gently closed his eyes before he replied.

"I do."

"Then come on. The sooner we take this picture, the sooner we can move on."

Tulip put her hand gently on Bryce's and the two of them went hand-in-hand and got upon the mat of the Love Match machine. From there, they looked to the camera as Tulip looked to Bryce with a smile before he did the same. The blush appeared on Tulip's face as well, but neither of them seemed to care about it. They turned back to the camera with a smile from each of them as they began to hold their hands together. Then, a flash came on them before the monitor was loading.

Bryce was admittedly a bit anxious to see how the photo would turn out. But when it was finished, it showed Bryce and Tulip exactly how they looked, their blushes and smiles present. It came as a great relief for him as he looked exactly how he should: with eyes that weren't plucked out.

"Huh. That's more like it."

"See? What did I tell you?"

But it wasn't the only surprise there. Their meter actually read a perfect ten out of ten! Seeing the score greatly pleased Des as he gasped dramatically before speaking boisterously.

"A ten out of ten! You two are a perfect match for sure!"

Bailey was excited as she went over to Tulip and Bryce and hugged them as she spoke to them, making Bryce and Tulip smile to her.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you guys! You're just like when Aiden and I were together."

"Uh... thanks, Bailey."

"We appreciate it."

Des flew up to Tulip and Bryce with a small envelope in his hand.

"And for getting such a positive score, here is your grand prize!"

Tulip took the envelope and became curious. Though, given what they realized about their numbers, it may be a clever way to open the door by hiding the key within the envelope. And they must not have been able to get it unless they become close to each other. If that isn't a cry for personal growth, she wouldn't know what is.

"Huh. That's a clever place to put a key to the door."

But Des suggested otherwise to Tulip as he spoke with a grin.

"Actually, the grand prize isn't the key to the door."

"Huh? Then what is it, Des?"

"You'll just have to open it and see..."

When Tulip opened the envelope, she found a small, fancy invitation embroiled in gold and silver with a tulip flower and a rose behind the words as Tulip read them aloud. As she did, the blush on her face appeared as though she was sunburnt.

"Congratulations to the lucky couple who receives this letter. You are cordially invited to... your own wedding?"

This caught the others by surprise, Bryce most of all as his blush became just as red as hers.

"Wait, what?"

Des did a celebratory jazz hands as he spoke.

"Ta-da! It's your own marriage license! Pretty amazing, huh?"

Tulip took a second look, reading on the rest of the letter while Bryce felt otherwise.

"Uh, I don't think you know how they're supposed to work, Des."

"Oh, sure I do. I just wanted to add a little flair. Besides, you obviously can't talk to your parents, being stuck in the train like you are. So..."

While Tulip continued reading, she was practically descending into a panic.

"'The wedding is all-expenses-paid and given by the generous host of Cupid's Arrow and the Matchmaking Car itself. All the guests that came with you lucky couple are invited as well, with the sitting arrangements having family closest to the main event while friends will hang in the back. After the vows are exchanged you both may retire to the 'Lovebirds' Nest' to consummate your loving matrimony. Festivities will begin... Right now?!' B-But we can't get married just yet! Bryce is older than I am! By three years!"

"Pfft. So?"

Feeling just as stressed about the prize, Bryce shouted next.

"So, I'm 16! And she is 13! It can't work!"

Bryce's words ended up getting a different reaction from Tulip. She wanted to agree with him about the ridiculousness about them being married so quickly, but somehow, it struck her like a dagger.

"Oh, sure it can. Things like age don't matter when it comes to love."

"It does when you have to tell your parents that you're suddenly married when you get back home! We haven't even been dating yet!"

"Come on, Bryce. You're either married or you're not. What other option is there?"

Those words struck Tulip's memory as she recalled those exact words from her tape.

"You're either married or you're not. What else is there?"

As much as Tulip knows how much they actually loved each other, she couldn't help but remember how well her parents, Andy and Megan, got along when she was young. They were always fighting all the time. And in most of those times, she couldn't help but think that if they'd married a few years earlier, her story would've been different. This made her examine her own really quickly. If she married Bryce later, would she end up like them...? And even if she didn't, how were they supposed to leave the car, let alone the train? Tulip took a second look at the letter and read the fine print below what she'd read before as Bryce spoke.

"I... I don't know. But I think we at least need time to discuss this before we just get married right away. Besides, we don't even have a ring."

To further the group's surprise, however, One-One spoke up as he waddled over.

"Sure you do! It's in Ms. Tulip's backpack!"

This made Tulip blush like crazy as she'd forgotten about the diamond ring that One-One bought her. At the same time, Bryce became confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about, One-One?"

Tulip was put in an embarrassing position. As if getting forced into a marriage wasn't embarrassing enough, now One-One had to bring up the ring? She would rather bury her head in the letter at this point. But before she tried it, Tulip read the fine print again in a footnote and began to have a different reaction as she spoke to herself.

"Wait a minute... I never thought I'd say this, but thanks for the ring, One-One."

She didn't quite hear One-One explaining his role to Bryce as she was too embarrassed before getting caught up on the note and having an apparent epiphany as Bryce's voice spoke to her.

"Is that true, Tulip?"

Tulip looked over to Bryce with a sigh before she spoke to him.

"Yeah. It's true..."

She took off her backpack and got on her knee as she opened it and pulled out the diamond ring that One-One got for her, making the group gasp in wonder and surprise as Glad and Sad One spoke.

"Oh! There it is! There's the ring!"

"It's about time..."

Bryce looked to Tulip in confusion as he tried to make sense of why she'd keep the ring that One-One gave her. He tried to figure it out as she walked over to him.

"You... you had that ring since we left the Arcade Car? But why?"

"Well, it was actually all One-One's idea. I could've tossed it out, but... I guess a part of me really did want to marry you. I mean, I was hoping to do it when we really got used to each other and when we dated long enough, but... since One-One had to open his big mouth..."

Glad One interjected with a gleeful reply and a wave to Tulip.

"You're welcome!"

"I guess I don't have a choice. It'd only be more embarrassing for both of us, otherwise."

Tulip gently placed the ring on his hand before she looked to his face, a blush forming on her face.

"Bryce... would you do me the honor of being my... my groom...?"

Bryce has no words for what came out of her mouth. She had to know how wrong this marriage was in terms of age. They haven't even dated yet, for Pete's sake! But then he caught a look in Tulip's face as she winked to him. If he knew Tulip, which he did, he knew she had a plan. And it needed him to say yes. So, he went along with it as he smiled to her while he placed the ring through her index finger.

"You know what? I will."

The group let out a huge gasp, the biggest coming from Bailey and One-One as Des exclaimed in joy.

"Huzzah! Love conquers all! I'll go get the outfits! A big day is upon us!"

Des then flew towards a black curtain on a side of the wall before Bryce looked to Tulip, hoping he was right.

"Okay, so while he's doing that, what's the plan?"

Tulip picked up the letter and showed it to Bryce as she explained.

"I read the fine print on the letter. You'll see."

Bryce then began to read the print aloud as he spoke.

"'After the marriage is finished, the couple and the guests may leave outside the door near the 'Lovebirds' Nest.' Huh. What are the odds?"

Rexy was thrown for a loop as he spoke up before Bailey immediately spoke out her personal thoughts quickly with a look of disbelief

"Wait. So, are you guys getting married or not?"

"You guys better say no!"

However, it made Penny confused to see her mother like this as she tried to find out why.

"How come?"

"Because, Penny, they're too young to be marrying each other! They haven't even dated yet!"

Tulip put on an embarrassed look as she spoke to her.

"I'm sorry, Bailey. But it's the only way we can get to that exit. Besides, it doesn't have to be like an actual marriage. It can be like, uh... practice."

The concept eluded Ava. Even with all her time on the train, she knew that there wasn't such a thing as practice when it came to marriage as she spoke to Tulip.

"Practicing marriage? I don't think there was such a thing as practice marriage in your world."

"No, but it can start here. On the train, that is."

Atticus looked up to Tulip and Bryce as he spoke his personal opinion.

"Well, I just hope you know what you're doing. I fear there may be consequences if he found out you only played along just to get the exit."

Tulip failed to see how Des could be a threat. Exit aside, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but for him to deliver punishment seemed a bit out of character for him.

"We'll try not to hurt his feelings, Atticus. But, come on. What could he possibly do to us?"

Her question was answered as Des burst out of the room with eager anticipation as he grabbed Tulip and Bryce by their arms.

"Come on, you lucky couple, you! Your big day is waiting!"

Tulip and Bryce were quickly pulled to the black curtain with Des practically squeezing their wrists.

"Okay, okay!"

"Geez! What kind of grip do you have?!"

After a short moment, Des peeked out again before he spoke.

"Oh, and can I ask the guests to help out in the dressing rooms real quick? Great. Thank you."

Des quickly went back in the curtain while Bailey found him somewhat of a loner. Regardless, she knew they'd only get one chance at a first impression. Considering it was practice, she might as well help them get it right.

"He must've had a lot of time on his hands... Okay, I've been through this marriage thing before, so obviously, they're gonna need our support. Atticus, One-One, and I will help out Tulip. And Penny, you, Rexy, and Ava will help Bryce out. Got it?"

The group all nodded in agreement before Rexy raised a claw in he air before Bailey pointed to him.

"What is it, Rexy?"

"Just one question: do we have to wear anything for the wedding?"

As if to answer, Des popped out of the black curtain and replied to him.

"Oh, yes. That reminds me. Bellhop!"

On cue, the bellhop flew in and spoke out the answer to his question.

"As per policy, the guests have to wear fancy attire to the marriage event. If they did not bring said attire, one will be provided for them."

Des felt his point was made clear as he spoke to the group.

"There. You have your answer. Don't worry. There's plenty of dressing rooms for all of you. You can just go ahead and freshen up while I have a moment with the bride and the groom."

Des went back in the curtain as most of the group all looked towards Rexy, almost as if some of them glared at him while he became confused.

"What?"

---

A moment later, Des was showing off the outfits to Tulip and Bryce backstage. One of the outfits was a black tuxedo with a white shirt and a red tie with black pants, fancy black shoes, and gold cufflinks while another outfit was a white, flowing wedding dress without the shoulders, white gloves, and white, flat slip-on shoes.

"And these will be your outfits! What do you think? Pretty romantic, right? I tailored these myself."

Neither of them had any words for how beautiful they were. Des seemed really committed to this whole thing. Almost as if he's done it before... This made Tulip think about asking the question to him, hoping it would shed some light.

"Yeah. Have you... done this kind of before?"

"Well, every once in a while, sure. Like the last couple who came here about two days ago, Grace and Simon."

Bryce and Tulip became intrigued as they hadn't heard of them before today.

"Grace and Simon?"

"Who were they?"

"Oh, just the last couple that got married. Called themselves the leaders of the 'Apex' or something. Their numbers were so high, it went up to their wrists!"

Tulip and Bryce couldn't help but be worried over that. The only people they knew of that had numbers that high, or worse, was the Scarecrows. If the Apex was anything like them, they hoped they wouldn't see them anytime soon.

"Yeah. They weren't exactly all enthusiastic about it at first, either. But when push came to shove, they cane to terms with that marriage and loved the heck outta each other at the Lovebirds' Nest."

This made Tulip and Bryce feel awkward as they felt it wasn't best to get into that topic so soon. That would be more embarrassing than the wedding itself. Fortunately, Des wasn't going too into details about it as he got out a picture from his tux pocket.

"I even saved myself this commemorative photo. Wanna take a look?"

Tulip and Bryce took a look at the photo and saw a a young African-American woman with short dark hair in dreadlocks wearing the dress Des prepared while also showing young adult of European descent with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and stubble on his chin wearing the tux beside her as they both smiled. According to Des, they must be Grace and Simon. And he wasn't kidding about their numbers.

Grace's number nearly went up to her elbow. And as for Simon, his number was obscured in the tux's sleeve, but the glow that came from it was all the indication they needed that it was just as high, if not more. Worried as they were, though, they can't help but notice how happy they were together as Tulip tried to sort out her mixed feelings.

"Huh. That's... nice."

Though, Bryce was stuck on how it was possible for their numbers to be that high as he looked up to Des, who developed somewhat of a fascination for them.

"Do you know how their numbers got high?"

"Yeah, funny thing about those guys. They actually just raid other cars and pillage them like pirates. And, oh-ho, boy, do I love me some pirates!"

Tulip and Bryce gave him a look that suggested it was a bizarre thing to like about them, if there's any at all. Seeing that look, Des quickly got back to the topic as he spoke to them with a clear of his throat while pointing to the individual dressing rooms specifically labeled "bride" and "groom".

"Ahem! Anyway, you can take the outfits and get fitted in your dressing room. I also have some help in here that will help you with everything else from there. Feel free to take your time!"

Des then flew out of the room in a jiffy as Tulip and Bryce looked back at the picture. They knew that they must be dangerous for their numbers to be so high. And yet, something about the atmosphere around them felt almost like they were close. After realizing how similar Simon looked to Bobby, Tulip had to wonder about them as she looked to Bryce.

"What do you think? Should we worry about them anytime soon? And by 'them', I mean 'Bobby's evil twin'."

"I don't think so. Des did say they were here a couple of days ago. Who knows how far ahead on the train they are by now? And why aren't you worried about her?"

Tulip looked back to Grace and Simon's picture as she pondered about something else.

"Well... Grace doesn't seem to think that it's the worst thing to be on the train, and she doesn't look evil like the Scarecrows."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful. I mean, if she weren't pillaging other cars, that'd be different. But it's not. And who knows how bad Simon is compared to her..."

Bryce clenched his left hand into a fist, catching Tulip's notice as she tried to calm him down by placing her hand on his fist before she tried to find out if it was personal.

"What's wrong? Do you two know each other?"

Bryce gave himself a moment to take a deep breath before he replied.

"No. Not before today. It's just... there's something about him that makes me hate his guts."

Tulip looked back at the picture and could easily see why. The smile on Simon appeared too cocky. Too arrogant...

"Woof. Now that you say that, I'm not sure I like him, either. Talk about emphasis on the evil twin. I honestly don't know what Grace ever saw in that guy."

"Me neither. But whatever she saw in him... he better not mess it up for her. If he does, it might be the last thing he'd ever do."

"According to you?"

This took Bryce aback for a moment before he tried to explain.

"N-no. Not like that, Tulip. I was talking about karma here."

"Well, either way, this is their problem, not ours. We'll let them sort it out."

Bryce took a sigh as he saw her point. He didn't know if the situation would get better or worse by interfering, even if it were possible. And that'd be something he's not sure if his conscience would let him forget.

"Yeah. You're right. I just hope Simon and Grace get their act together before it's too late..."

Tulip and Bryce then looked to each other, letting a moment dwindle between them before she spoke to him.

"Well... uh... see you in a few."

"Yeah. You, too."

Tulip brought the photo with her as she went to her dressing room while Bryce went for his. When Tulip got inside her dressing room with her dress, she took notice of another cupid with blonde hair in a slicked-back style as he spoke to her.

"Hi, there. I'm Chad, and I'm here to help you with your dress."

"Oh. Well, hi, Chad. No offense, but how exactly can you help out?"

"I'm glad you asked. You know those tiny zippers in the back that you just can't reach?"

Tulip began to blush at the thought of it. Just imaging herself trying all she could to zip up her own wedding dress only to come up short while it fell down was more than she could take. She learned ahead of time that it is alright to ask for help in the Chrome Car. But even if she hadn't, that would be preferable to having her wedding dress slip and fully exposing her.

"Unfortunately..."

"Well, I'm here for that."

Grateful as she was for him to be here to prevent that disaster, Tulip wondered if he wasn't here for anything else.

"That's it? Just for the zipper?"

"Oh, and the hair. I am a pretty great hairdresser."

"Oh. So, you don't... dress them up yourselves?"

Having been asked that question, Chad took offense to it quickly.

"Of course not! The bodies of the bride and groom are sacred! How can we maintain that if we even look at you when you're indecent?"

Tulip was surprised by Chad's outburst. She had a feeling there was something going on and felt as though she inadvertently brought it up as she tried to apologize.

"Whoa. Sorry I asked. I'm just new to this whole thing."

Chad calmed himself down a moment before he got back to business, turning around while covering his eyes.

"No, it's okay. Just-just do your thing. I'll just turn around. Let me know when you're all dressed, okay?"

"Um... okay?"

---

Meanwhile, Des decided to check back on the guests. With the time he's had talking with the bride and groom, they must've had more than enough time to dress up.

"Alright, now lets take a look at you."

When Des saw their attire, he was amazed. While Atticus wore a black bow tie collar around his neck and Glad One had a fancy hat on while Sad One had a wedding veil, Ava was wearing a yellow poofy type of dress with pink slip-on shoes and a black hair band. As for Penny, she wore a white and pink polka dotted dress with frills on the edges of the skirt and shoulder areas, white leggings, shiny red heeled shoes, and a fancy flower corsage that changed colors randomly. Rexy was wearing a fancy black Derby hat under his baseball cap (which nearly covers his eyes), a big light blue dress jacket, orange bow tie hanging loosely on his neck, a big white dress shirt, and big light blue pants along with a long black cane. And last but not least, Bailey wore a dark blue long dress, a pair of white high heels, and a simple pink flower corsage.

"Oh, you are all looking so beautiful today! Now, that's how you dress for the big day! Huh, am I right?"

Ava wasn't one to agree with how her outfit looked.

"I don't know. I mean, it's nice. But I don't think yellow's quite my color."

However, Rexy was getting used to his own outfit.

"Speak for yourself, Ava. Me? I feel like I'm on top of the world, and then some."

Bailey took a look at her dress and admired it as she twirled, as did Penny as she looked at her own corsage.

"Well, I like it. Wearing a dress like this really takes me back."

"And those flowers are pretty cool, too."

Des flew closer to the group with a smile as he spoke up to them about their task at hand.

"Great. Now, I know I've said it before, but this is a big day for them. So they'll be counting on you to help support them every step of the way. Think you can handle that?"

Penny, Ava, and Glad One nodded without hesitation, though Sad One wasn't ready for that moment.

"Uh-huh!"

"Of course."

"Yes, sir!"

"But I don't want her to leave me..."

Atticus and Rexy agreed next as they stepped up.

"I've been by their side since we met. It's the least I can do."

"Well, I might not know them much. But any friend of Ava's is a friend of mine."

However, Bailey didn't look so eager as Penny looked up to her.

"What's wrong, mommy? Aren't you gonna help them?"

Bailey snapped out of her funk for a moment as she responded positively, much to Des' enthusiasm.

"Oh! Sorry. Of course, I'll help."

"Yes! Oh, I'm so glad we can all agree. I'll leave it to you to decide which goes to the Bride and the Groom. I hope you have fun!"

Des then flew away from the group as Bailey recalled her initial game plan.

"Okay. Everyone remembers who to go to, right?"

The group nodded in response before Bailey looked to their dressing rooms.

"Good. Let's do this."

As per Bailey's plan, she, Atticus, and One-One headed to Tulip's dressing room while Ava, Penny, and Rexy went to Bryce's. Bailey knocked one the door, knowing that she must be getting ready in there, but did not wish to step in if she wasn't ready.

"Hey, Tulip. How are you doing?"

Instead of Tulip responding to her, Chad's voice replied back to her, only for Tulip to speak up after him.

"Don't come in yet! She isn't decent!"

"Uh, Chad, I am dressed."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?"

On the other side of the door, Chad went over to her zipper and pulled it up to where it isn't likely to fall off before Chad spoke up.

"Okay. You can come in, now."

Bailey cautiously opened the door, and what she saw was astounding. Tulip was wearing a simple, long-flow, white dress that was cut off at the shoulders, long white gloves, and white flat slip-on dress shoes. She looked absolutely amazing. Of course she would. It was her big day, after all. Bailey couldn't hide that as she walked in the room with Atticus and One-One following her.

"Wow, Tulip. You look so amazing."

"Really? You think so? I couldn't tell..."

One-One and Atticus couldn't agree more.

"Of course! Why, you're already blossoming into a beautiful flower!"

"And I must say, your beauty rivals even that of our ceremonies. But, mind you, I won't give out the details."

"Thanks. You guys are looking great, too."

With that, Chad spoke up next.

"Oh, I'm glad you guys agree. But I'm not done yet."

This made Bailey feel embarrassed as she turned her head away slightly.

"Oh. Sorry..."

"No, it's alright. You guys can stick around. I just gotta work on her hair. Oh, that reminds me. How would like your hair to be done?"

This was an odd question for Tulip. She didn't consider that question as she usually did a ponytail for her long hair. She could leave it the way it was, but she needed to change it to keep up appearances, lest she give off the impression that she didn't care about her wedding.

"Um..."

Fortunately, Bailey had an idea as she looked over to Chad.

"Actually, I think I know a good style for her."

Bailey leaned to Chad's ear and whispered to him for a moment. When she was finished, Chad became very impressed.

"Hey, yeah. That can work. And it'll go great with the dress, too."

Tulip, being out of the loop, became confused.

"Uh, what would?"

Bailey went over to Tulip as she gave her a smile.

"You'll see."

"Except I can't. It's hard to tell how I look without a reflection."

Bailey took notice of a blank mirror on her left and became puzzled before she remembered what Tulip did for her. She gave her her own life. That meant she won't be able to stand in anymore...

"Oh... right. You gave your reflection her own life."

"Yep. Sorry for making it difficult for you guys..."

Despite the situation, however, Chad didn't think anything of it.

"Oh, it's not that difficult. We just won't use this mirror."

"But how else am I supposed to see how I look?"

"More often than not, the eyes are a window to the soul."

With that, Chad flew towards an object covered in a white cloth before pulling it off to reveal a large porcelain mirror.

"It's a good thing we got one that can show you that window."

Tulip didn't see how it would help as Chad led Tulip to it.

"But how is this mirror gonna help?"

"Because, it's not just a mirror. Ask it anything, and it'll show you."

Tulip, being cautious about the results, looked to the other mirror and began to ask her question.

"Okay. Um... can you show me how I look right now?"

In accordance with her question, the blank mirror transformed into the background she stood in. And even better, it showed her how she'd looked right now, even without her reflection. Needless to say, she was plenty surprised.

"Wow... I do look beautiful. Thanks, Chad. I really appreciate it right now."

Chad gave a smile to her as he spoke.

"I'm just glad I could help. Now, what do you say we try out that new hairstyle?"

Tulip looked back to Chad with a smile as she answered.

"Bring it on."

---

Meanwhile, in his dressing room, while he stood in front of a mirror, Bryce was dressed up in his own outfit that Des showed him and Tulip earlier, and his hair was slicked back as well. And as opposed to Tulip's, his Cupid assistant was more strict. Etiquette seemed to be everything to him. Whether it was bowing or even dancing, its all he talked about.

"Moving on to proper bowing techniques. We will be covering both Occidental and Asian styles."

"Uh, permission to speak?"

"Granted."

"Not that I mind, but what does any of that have to do with the marriage, Charlie?"

"Well, you only get one chance at a first impression, Mr. Gideon. And I suggest you make it the best it can be. Or else, you'll end up spiraling down the black hole of failure for the rest of your life, like that arrogant delinquent SIMON LAURENT!"

His momentary outburst caught Bryce off-Guard before Charlie cleared his throat and spoke.

"My apologies. But surely, you understand how important it is."

Just then, Charlie and Bryce heard a knock on the door before the Cupid responded.

"Who is it?"

Penny took the opportunity to answer from the door.

"It's Penny. Can we come in?"

Charlie looked over to Bryce with a smile as he whispered to him.

"See? Even she knows that. Uh, do come in!"

Penny opened the door and walked in with Ava and Rexy to notice Bryce in his tuxedo, and with his hair slicked back, too. She couldn't believe it was the same brother that adopted her. It was almost like he was a new man.

"Wow... you look so cool!"

Bryce smiled at Penny as she, Ava, and Rexy went in.

"Thanks, Penny. Now that you mention it, I do kinda look like a secret agent."

Charlie knew otherwise as he spoke.

"Far from it. You look like a fine gentleman. And so, I think it best that you at least act like one. The basics should be enough."

Bryce didn't find it helpful, but it was reassuring that he'd go easy on him with the basics.

"Thanks. I'll do my best, Charlie."

"See that you do. And nothing but the best. Because anything less..."

"...is inexcusable. I know."

"Good. Now, I think you've earned yourself a brief reprieve before the ceremony. I hope you'll bear in mind what I've taught you."

Charlie then flew out of the dressing room before turning to see Rexy in his outfit and became astonished as he made a short gasp before doing a curtsey and promptly flying out of the room, speaking to himself before Ava spoke up.

"Oh, that was close..."

"Well, someone's a little uptight."

Suddenly, they heard a thud behind them, as well as a short yell. Both came from Bryce as he had his hand tensed into a fist that came down on the dresser. Penny grew worried over that as she hadn't seen him that upset since the Fear Car.

"Bryce, are you okay?"

Bryce was trying to calm himself down as he took his breath, but as he tried to answer, she could tell he was struggling.

"How can I be okay... when my best isn't enough?"

Rexy assumed quickly that Charlie was putting too much pressure on Bryce to be perfect.

"Was that Charlie guy giving you that hard a time?"

"No, Rexy. It's not that... it's just—"

Bryce was about to finish, but he didn't have the strength to talk about it. He only let out a sigh before he spoke softly to Penny.

"Penny... can I talk to you? Just you?"

Penny wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but from the sound of it, she could tell he needed help.

"Okay."

Cautiously, she walked over to Bryce as he sat in his chair. When she got near him, she saw how sad he looked as he spoke.

"I've got something on my mind that I wanted to ask. It's been in my head the whole time we've known each other. Why would you choose me?"

"Huh? What do you mean why?"

"I mean, why would you choose me, out of all people, to look after you? Bailey told me about how your car worked, how it was supposed to help parents looking for their lost children to find them. At least, that's what Tabitha told her."

Hearing this, Penny held her head down a bit sadly as she spoke softly.

"So... you knew about that?"

"Yeah, I knew about it. But what I can't understand was why you'd choose someone like me over your dad. Didn't you want to have someone who would take you home right away, instead of going through all those terrible experiences that could've killed you?"

"Bryce—"

"Didn't you?"

His voice came a bit sharp and loud, but not loud enough to qualify as an outburst. All the same, Penny had to be honest with him.

"I guess..."

"Then why did you choose me?! I could've saved you the trouble of getting mixed up in that mess at all!"

Penny was caught off-guard by his shouting. But she didn't run away. She knew how hurt he was the way Tulip knew. She didn't know how, but she could tell. When Bryce tried to speak again, he couldn't hold back the hurt or tears in his voice.

"Just like I could've saved my parents... but I didn't. I'm not enough. And I probably never will be..."

Bryce buried his head in his arms as he began to sob before Penny tapped on his shoulder before he sniffled and tried to speak up as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to dump all this on you... C-Can we just forget it?"

However, Penny had a different answer as she sat on his lap.

"I don't wanna forget. I wanna help."

Penny leaned to her brother's chest as he held his arms around her and took his breath. After a moment, Penny spoke softly to him.

"Before you came, I didn't know anything about my dad or my mom. But when I watched all the other kids get adopted by their parents and go home... I guess I wanted to see my parents again, whoever they were. Anyone else wasn't enough for me. But I didn't think about that when I didn't go. I was just a kid. And then you came. I wanted to go away like before, but you did something that made me think different. You waited for me. And when you did... I didn't see a stranger. I saw something... familiar."

"Familiar?"

"Yeah. It made me remember someone, but I didn't know who. I guess that's why I went to you, so I could hold on to that, and figure out the rest."

Penny then gave a small smile and a short laugh before she spoke again.

"A lot of good that did, though. All those months on the train with you, and I still couldn't figure it out. But then, I saw my daddy's tape, right before you got caught by the Scarecrows. He was just like you. So hard and tough, but he was gentle and patient, too. Maybe that's why I chose you. Because you reminded me of my daddy."

Penny then began to hug him as she began to shed tears of her own, though she tried her best not to cry as she sniffled.

"Bryce... nobody could take my dad's place. *sniffle* But I just want you to know that... *sniffle* that you are enough. At least for me. I promise... *sniffle*"

Bryce couldn't help it. His own tears returned as he began to hug Penny back.

"Thanks, Penny. It means the whole world to me. Well, besides Tulip, but you know."

Penny then smiled back to him, crying tears of joy as she laughed a bit while Bryce did the same before they closed their eyes, wanting this moment to last a little longer. And, they were, of course, unaware that Bryce's number was changing as well until it stopped at the number "2".

---

Meanwhile, in Tulip's dressing room, Chad was hard at work on her hair. He was told to do it exactly as Bailey requested. The design wasn't quite what Tulip anticipated, but as Chad worked on it, the more Tulip began to see her point, even as Chad finished up.

"And here it is! The perfect hairstyle for such a beautiful occasion."

Tulip looked in the magic mirror and was astonished. Her hairstyle now consisted of a semi-loose hair bun with a slight curl up on the sides. She'd never looked so beautiful before. Even Tulip couldn't believe she was the same person.

"Whoa... I look... so amazing."

Bailey felt it was to be expected as she smiled.

"Right? If you're gonna get married, you gotta look your best."

Tulip smiled at her hairstyle as Chad spoke.

"Well, she's right. I think it's a great look for you."

"I'll bet Bryce would be surprised to see me like... like this."

Tulip had a moment of silence as she held her head down before Chad took notice of her discomfort.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Sorry. I do."

"Then, why don't you look happy?"

Tulip took a sigh as she answered.

"I just... remembered something I didn't want to. That's all."

Bailey felt bad for her as she turned to Chad while Sad One spoke.

"I think she's gonna bail..."

Bailey took the opportunity to and speak to Chad.

"Hey, Chad. Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Oh, sure. I did what I needed to do anyway."

"And we're grateful for that. Thanks."

"My pleasure."

Chad then took his leave through the door before Bailey turned back to Tulip.

"Are you sure you're okay, Tulip? I thought we were trying to get the exit."

"Well, we are. But it's... it's a little more personal to me, too."

"Really? How so?"

Tulip looked up to Bailey as Atticus and One-One went up closer.

"Well, Bailey, you might not have known, but the truth is... my parents were divorced. They used to be happy together, but while I got older, they started fighting. And it got worse... And when they decided to give each other some space, they ended up getting divorced after that. I wasn't happy with their decision."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. It must've been hard for you."

"Yeah. I mean, after a few months, they started talking to each other, but I couldn't get over it. And it got worse when I couldn't go to OshKosh. It was part of the contract when I got my grades up, long story. Anyway, I ran away and decided to go there myself. Then, I ended up on this train, and... and that's how I met your daughter and Bryce."

Bailey couldn't find a way to connect that with what she didn't want to remember as she spoke.

"Well, considering how well they've gotten along for you, I'm having a hard time figuring out why it's bothering you."

"Trust me, Bailey. It is bothering me. I didn't get to ask my parents how they met each other, or what drive them away in the first place. I didn't care enough to ask. What if... what if our story ended up the same way? I know it's ridiculous to ask, but even if it is a pretend marriage, it just— somehow it's scaring me to death."

Bailey sighed in sympathy before she spoke.

"Tulip, I know you're worried that you'd end up like your parents. But are you sure you're going about it the right way? I mean, you're—"

"Too young to get married. I know. But at this point, what choice do I have?"

Bailey took a deep sigh, seeing how worried she is. She didn't think it was right to marry so soon, but at the same time, she didn't want Tulip to be miserable. That's when she had a different idea.

"Well, I can't stop you from getting married. I mean, at least until the 'hold your peace' thing, but you know what I mean. If you really think it'll make you happy, then I won't stand in the way of that. But I think you should at least tell him how you feel. Just like I should at least give you some tips."

This confused Tulip while intriguing One-One.

"Oh! Wedding tips! Those are very useful."

"Tell that to the divorce rates..."

"Tips? Like what?"

"Well, like... dancing for example."

"Dancing? You mean, like, slow dancing?"

As Bailey answered Tulip, she began to blush while recalling her private moments with Aiden.

"Yep. Good thing I know a thing or two about it. And on the side, a bit of dirty dancing, too... Ahem! But for now, we'll just cover the slow dancing."

Tulip wasn't sure how well that would work out. She wasn't exactly a good dancer back at school. It was about as embarrassing as her singing, she felt like. Tulip wasn't sure if it'd be more embarrassing to do that or the aforementioned "dirty dancing".

"Uh, I'm not sure if I should..."

"Alright, but just so you know, you're also gonna have kids eventually. And, let's face it: do you really wanna know about puberty?"

Tulip immediately blushed badly as she quickly answered in panic.

"Okay, I'll practice the dance!"

Bailey gave a small giggle before she replied.

"That's what I thought. I'll lead."

She held her hand out for Tulip to take it. She was hesitant at first, but she wasn't in the mood to talk about puberty. She took her hand before she stood up and let her hand be guided by Bailey's until they were hanging in the air on Tulip's right side. Then, Bailey placed her open hand on Tulip's hip. Tulip couldn't hide her blush as she moaned embarrassedly before Bailey spoke.

"It'll be okay, Tulip. Just pretend that I'm Bryce place your hand on my shoulder, okay?"

"Are you kidding? It'll make it worse...!"

"Listen, we're just going over the poses, okay. So don't worry."

"But how can I not worry? Even if I do get it right, I wouldn't even know where to step."

"Oh. That's all? That part's easy. You just have to let him lead."

Tulip looked to her right hand and saw what she meant. Bailey's hand was gentle as it held hers. And knowing Bryce, it might as well be just as gentle, if not more so. Cautiously, Tulip put her left hand on Bailey's shoulder before she spoke.

"Great. Now, I'll step backwards and you follow, and vice versa. Got it?"

"Uh, y-yeah."

With that, Tulip and Bailey began to slow dance, doing exactly the plan that Bailey told her. The more they danced, the more she became used to it. And as luck would have it, Tulip began to see how easy it was. All the while, Atticus and One-One were impressed as the robot spoke first.

"Oh, my. Can you believe how light on her feet she is?"

"Truly, she has become a paragon of beauty and grace."

"Hey, you're right, Bailey. This is pretty easy."

"I told you so."

With that, Tulip and Bailey stopped their dancing before the latter spoke up, hoping she can remember.

"So, you know what to do from here?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Bailey."

"I'm just glad I can help. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still think it's too soon. But I want you to be happy, too."

Tulip gave her a smile before Chad came in the room with news.

"Hey, guys! Des told me to tell you the ceremony's getting started in ten minutes!"

Tulip felt it was a bit fast, but at least it gave her some time to get ready.

"Cool. Thanks, Chad."

With the ceremony underway, Bailey began to stretch her arms as she spoke to Tulip.

"Well, guess I'll see you in a few minutes."

She began to walk with Atticus and One-One. But before she could get out, Tulip piped up.

"Hey, Bailey?"

Bailey stopped at the door before turning to her.

"Yeah?"

Tulip was a bit hesitant to ask as a blush came over her face.

"Uh... any chance I can see that dirty dancing you were talking about?"

This piqued Bailey's interest as she gave a small smirk before she replied.

"Okay. But only for a few minutes. It is your wedding, after all."

Bailey went inside the room before promptly closing the door.

---

Later, Bryce, Ava, Rexy, Atticus, and One-One were at the gazebo, and the banners were now decorated with the words, "Congratulations to Tulip and Bryce" with their faces beside the words. And to add to it, Penny was spreading flowers all over the carpet that laid in-between the fold-out chairs as she walked on it. Like the pictures of the Wedding Cake Car, Atticus was his best man (which was fitting as he was already Man's Best Friend). As for Ava, Rexy, and One-One, they had to sit on the chairs to watch the ceremony. All the while, Bryce was getting anxious.

"What's taking Tulip so long? She knows the plan, right?"

"Patience, Bryce. I'm sure Tulip will be here in time."

Just then, Bryce heard the door open before looking to see that the door had opened. And walking out of the door was Bailey. She had a warm smile on her face as she looked at the flowers that Penny spread on the carpet before looking to her.

"You did really great, Penny."

"Thanks, mommy."

Bailey then walked over to Bryce before she stood on the opposite side of him, allowing him the opportunity to ask something of her.

"Do you know where Tulip is, Bailey?"

"You don't have to worry. She's on her way right... now."

Just as the pianist played "Here Comes the Bride", Bailey and Bryce looked over to see Tulip with a wedding veil over her face as she held a bouquet of Tulips in her hands. One-One especially took notice of the bouquet and became easily impressed.

"Wow... so that's what Tulips are."

"I knew that Daisy wasn't enough..."

Tulip stepped onward to the gazebo as Bryce, Bailey, and the pastor looked on before she stood in front of him. When Bryce removed the veil, he was amazed to see Tulip's new look as she smiled at him.

"How do I look?"

"Uh... beautiful."

Bryce let out a short, small laugh of eagerness as Tulip replied.

"Thanks. I had a feeling you'd be surprised."

After a moment, the pastor began to speak.

"Today is a day you will always remember. Truly, the greatest in anyone's life. You'll start off the day as just two people in love, and you'll end it as Husband and Wife. It's a brand new beginning, the start of a new journey with moments to cherish and treasure. And although, there'll be times when you both disagree, those times will surely be outweighed by the pleasure of each other's company. You'll have heard many words of advice in the past when the secrets of marriage were spoken. But you know that the answers lie hidden inside, where the bond of true love lies unbroken. So, live happy forever as lovers and friends. It's the dawn of a new life for you as you stand there together with love in your eyes from the moment you whisper, 'I love you.' And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real."

Amidst his speech, Rexy was beginning to shed tears as he sobbed before he blew his nose on a handkerchief from his suit as the pastor carried on.

"Ohh, I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry!"

"May success find its way to your hearts. Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys, but today is the day it all starts."

Evidently, Rexy wasn't the only one in tears. Des was just as moved by his speech before the pastor turned to the bride.

"Ah! Beautiful and moving speech as always, Gregor."

"That being said, if anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

This made Tulip a bit anxious. Bailey was against this whole thing from the beginning. And she said that she wouldn't stand in the way of that in the dressing room, but Tulip didn't know if she could believe that, even with what she taught her. To be sure, she looked behind her to see Bailey, seeing her smile back at her with a nod, reassuring Tulip as she smiled back before Gregor spoke to the bride.

"Very well. Do you, Tulip Olsen, take Bryce Gideon to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him, for as long as you both shall live?"

Tulip gave a soft smile to him as she spoke.

"I do."

Gregor nodded with his own smile before turning to Bryce.

"And do you, Bryce Gideon, take Tulip Olsen, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?"

Bryce looked towards Tulip and gave a big smile to her as he considered it. Even if the marriage was fake, he knew that through all of this, he wouldn't have eyes on anyone else but her. Because nobody else he knew could believe his situation. And nobody else (with the exception of Penny and the others) would mean more to him than her. So, his answer was obvious.

"I do."

Gregor smiled to the two of them as he made his proclamation.

"I now pronounce this couple husband and wife!"

This caused an applause from the present group to break out as Penny smiled to them before Gregor spoke again.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Tulip and Bryce both blushed as they realized they hadn't kissed before now. While it was embarrassing, they didn't entirely get surprised from that.

"Well, I guess it had to happen eventually..."

"Yeah. So, ladies first?"

Tulip gave him a small laugh before she answered.

"Sure."

With that, Tulip and Bryce closed their eyes before the former began leaning towards Bryce's face with her mouth open before it connected with his. What resulted was a blossom of untold pleasure that neither of them had known before now. They wanted to do it longer, but they had to keep it brief for Penny's sake as they broke apart with a blush on their faces before she spoke in awe prior to Bryce.

"W-What was that? It was so..."

"Amazing."

"Yeah. You took the words right out of my mouth..."

With the ceremony over, Des clapped his hands for the two of them.

"Congratulations, you two! I'm so happy for the both of you. And now, we get to the fun part: the dancing!"

---

Later, the festivities of the marriage began. To celebrate, the chairs were folded and/or moved to make some space for the group to dance. For the first dance, Bryce did a fast-paced dance with Penny. He was helping her spin in a pirouette before he took her hands and began to playfully spin her around as she laughed.

"Go faster!"

As much as he wanted to oblige, Bryce kept two factors in mind: any faster than that, and he'll either end up throwing Penny like a frisbee, or he'll end up getting dizzy. Fortunately, the latter was most likely to happen as Bryce slowed down to a stop while setting Penny down. She saw how woozy he got as she checked on him.

"Are you okay?"

"Honestly... I'm a little dizzy. Ask me again in a few..."

Bryce was about to collapse to the ground, but he stopped himself from falling as he tried to get his focus back.

"Whoa! Okay. No—no more spinning for a while until I see one room..."

Penny held Bryce by his hand as she walked him out of the stage.

"It's okay. Just take a seat for a bit."

Next, Tulip was dancing in place in a silly manner, as was Atticus. She was swinging her arms near her hips in different angles and in rapid motion while Atticus was hopping on his two hind legs. As he hopped, Atticus looked to Tulip.

"What are you doing, Tulip?"

"I'm doing the floss. It's basically the only other dance I can do in this dress. What about you?"

"What does it look like? I am dancing with class and grace. Hup! Two, three, four... Hup! Two, three, four..."

Tulip found his point difficult to prove as he hopped around on his little legs before she smiled.

"Yeah, sure. You just keep doing you."

Meanwhile, Rexy and One-One were doing a break dance on the dance floor. It came easier for the latter as he bounced on his nubs like a beach ball. Rexy, on the other hand, was using his cane to do a dance routine that suggested he was performing a musical number, moving the cane farther away and then closer to him before finishing with a rousing shake of his hands.

"And... jazz hands!"

One-One applauded Rexy's performance as both of his halves critiques him.

"That was some great dancing, Rexy."

"And like I said before, dancing is scary."

"Which is a good thing, because T-Rexes are usually fearsome creatures that ruled the Earth."

"They are?"

This made Rexy gasp in realization as he thought of a new moniker to call himself.

"That's it! I'm not just Rexy the Wrecker. I am... Rexy the King of Dance!"

Later, Bryce was recovering from the vertigo as Penny waited by his side. She hasn't left since she helped find a seat for him by the punch bowl. And while she waited for it to pass, Penny was giving Bryce a cup of punch from the clouds.

"Here."

Bryce took the cup gently from her hand as he spoke to her.

"Thanks, Penny. I appreciate it."

Penny smiled to her older brother as she made a light giggle. Grateful as he was, though, he felt like she didn't need to wait for him.

"You know, you don't have to wait for me, Penny. You can go out there and dance with everyone else."

"No, it's okay. I just wanna make sure you're not alone."

Just then, as if to solve the problem, Bailey came up near Bryce and quickly assumed why he looked out of it as she spoke up to him.

"Whoa. What happened to you? Did you have too much punch lately?"

Bryce shook his head as he replied.

"No. Just too much vertigo..."

Bailey gave him a soft smile before she looked over to Penny.

"Hey, Penny. You can go dance with Ava for a bit. I'll take it from here."

"'Kay."

Penny began heading over to Ava on the dance floor before she turned to Bryce and gave him a smiling wink before continuing on. Bryce took notice of it and became confused for the moment as Bailey held her hand out to him.

"Can I have this dance?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. But let's not go too fast. I think the room's still spinning."

Bailey giggled at his answer as Bryce took her hand and began to dance with her. Keeping in mind that he's still recovering from vertigo, Bailey danced a bit slower with Bryce as they looked into each other's eyes. To him, it wasn't quite the same as dancing with Tulip, but to her, it was almost as if she was dancing with her husband. The two of them were similar, after all. Somehow, it made it a little easier for her to talk to him.

"Hey, Bryce?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I said it before, but... I wanna thank you for looking after Penny for me. It's thanks to you and Tulip that I got to see her."

Bryce and Bailey looked over to see Penny tap-dancing with Ava. She was learning it from Ava as she watched and did as she did. Perhaps, a little too well.

"Try not to go do fast, Penny!"

"I can't help it! It's so fun!"

While Penny giggled, Bryce gave a soft smile as he replied back to her.

"Well, I can't take all the credit."

"I know. I already thanked Maria for looking after since then."

"Sure, but that's not what I meant."

Bailey looked to Bryce in confusion as she listened to his explanation.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Penny made the step all by herself. She told me that she went to me because I reminded her of something familiar. She couldn't figure out what, though. Well, until she looked at Aiden's tape."

Bailey gave a light gasp from hearing this, making Bryce look over to her in surprise.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Y-You said his name... and that he had a tape."

"Well, yeah. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have been willing to help us out. And you. But tape or no tape, we shouldn't sell her short. She's a really special and brave kid."

Bailey's smile returned, though with the small tears coming from her eyes as she looked at her daughter. And those tears weren't just for her. They were for hope. With what he'd told her, Bailey knew for a certainty that Aiden must be out there somewhere. She spoke softly as she gazed to her daughter.

"I wonder where she got that from..."

Just then, the lights on the dance floor turned off before an announcer spoke through the speakers.

"It's time to mellow down and make room, everybody. Because this number goes out to the lucky couple of the day, Bryce Gideon and Tulip Olsen."

Play Eric Carmen Music: "All by Myself"

Piano music began to play as two spotlights shone on Bryce and Tulip, the both of them far away. The two of them looked to each other and the bride began to blush with a smile as Bryce returned that smile. He walked closer to Tulip before she did the same, albeit with Atticus' slight assistance as he gently nudged her legs.

"When I was young

I never needed anyone"

It wasn't long before Bryce and Tulip ended up practically in each other's faces as he spoke to her.

"You doing okay?"

"To be honest, I'm... a little bit nervous."

"We don't have to do it if you don't want to."

Tulip only took her hand with his before letting them hang on the side with her left arm on his shoulder as she spoke.

"No, it's okay. I'll just let you lead."

"And making love was just for fun

Those days are gone"

Bryce gave her a soft smile as he placed his open hand gently on her hip before the two of them began to dance across the dance floor. All the while, Bailey, Penny, Rexy, Ava, Atticus, and One-One were watching the beautiful moment while commenting on it with the robot and the Corgi speaking first.

"It makes me so happy to see Ms. Tulip and Mr. Bryce happy."

"Too bad their parents weren't around to see it."

"I, for one, am a bit jealous. If only my soul mate could've come with us."

This made Penny remember when Atticus was talking to a Golden Retriever doll back at the Arcade Car and did a light giggle before Ava became curious.

"What's so funny?"

"It's Atticus' soulmate."

Penny began whispering to Ava before she got what she was trying to say and began to laugh a bit herself.

"Living alone

I think of all the friends I've known"

"Oh, now I get it."

"I know, right?"

Then, Penny turned back to Tulip and Bryce as they held each other close while she spoke to her mother, wondering if she and her father were that close.

"Hey, mommy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Did you and dad ever dance like that together?"

"But when I dial the telephone

Nobody's home"

As the piano began to finish its interlude, Bailey began to smile again as she saw herself and Aiden dancing under the moonlight as she felt the tears beginning to emerge, but she kept them at bay as she replied.

"We did, Penny. More times than you'll ever know..."

Meanwhile, as they danced with the music beginning a rousing follow up, Bryce moved his hand up with her hand and she did a pirouette before going as far as she could while holding on to his hand before it pulled her closer to him as his other arm cradled her back. Then, Bryce dipped Tulip as she leaned back before she got back up and turned her back to him with a smile before she stepped to the side and he stepped closer to her before placing his hand back on her hip.

"All by myself

Don't want to be all by myself anymore"

From there, they danced as close as they could get while Tulip looked to him as she spoke with a smile.

"You know, I think I'm starting to like this song."

"You mean you didn't like it before?"

"Nah. I thought it was cheesy back at that Crystal Car. But now... I think I can see why people like it."

"That's what classics are known for. Sometimes, people who don't appreciate them at first usually end up coming around."

Tulip gave a gentle smile to him before she blushed while looking away a bit.

"All by myself

Don't want to live all by myself anymore"

End Eric Carmen Music: "All by Myself"

It wasn't long before the dancing was over as the lights came back on the dance floor with Tulip and Bryce looking to each other on the dance floor before Des tapped on the microphone.

"Okay, everyone. Can you all step into the dance floor, please?"

The group all turned to Des with Bailey, Ava, Rexy, Penny, Atticus, and One-One stepping into the dance floor as Des spoke to them.

"First off, I just wanna congratulate the happy couple on their wedding. Give it up for them, will you please?"

As Charlie, Gregor, Chad, and the bellhop applauded them, Tulip and Bryce gave a smile to Des as they held their hands before he spoke again.

"And secondly, we will now commence with the Honeymoon segment. As per Cupid's Arrow custom, the happy couple can decide to take the exit to the next car..."

Des then gestured to the exit door that they've been searching for as a spotlight came on it. Next, he gestured to the heart-shaped door as he spoke while a spotlight cane on it as well.

"Or, they can take the other door to the Lovebirds' Nest. A very special room for two people who love each other just that much. Of course, if you happen to choose the exit door, you're welcome to come back before the next day. So, which door will you pick?"

Tulip and Bryce looked to each other with a smile, each of them certain about which door that they'd take before Tulip spoke.

"Well, it's nice of you to offer, Des. But I think we'll take the exit for now."

Des then took a small sigh of slight disappointment. In truth, though, he was half-expecting it.

"Of course, you would. It's almost always what they choose, anyway. But don't forget, you're welcome to come back anytime."

Bryce and Tulip began to blush as the former replied to him.

"Uh, we'll keep that in mind..."

With that, Bryce went over to the door with the others following close behind him before Penny took notice of the monitor above the door.

"Guys, look!"

The group looked up above the door to see the monitor. It was showing many of the moments they had in this car. One of them included the time when Penny was being hugged by her older brother in the dressing room. It was in that moment when Bryce took notice of his own number. He hadn't looked at it since the Chrome Car, so for him to see it now was a surprise as he checked back on it along with Tulip.

"Hey, your number's changed, Bryce!"

"Yeah. But when?"

In the next moment shown from the monitor's slideshow, it also showed Bailey when she was teaching Tulip how to dance as the mother spoke up.

"Hey, that's when I taught Tulip how to dance!"

Thirdly, it showed the time when Atticus was dancing beside Tulip on his hind legs, earning quite a laughter from Penny, Ava, and Rexy as they spoke.

"Lookit! Look at Atticus' paws!"

"Well, he certainly seems happy!"

"Does his majesty want a treat?"

Their comments inadvertently made Atticus blush as he spoke.

"Is my dancing that silly?"

The next clip in the slideshow, however, made Atticus feel a little better as he took note of how he looked with the cane and jazz hands combo. So much so, in fact, that he joined in on Penny and Ava's laughter, making Rexy take offense to it quickly as he turned to Atticus.

"Hey! That's the King of Dance you're laughing at!"

"Oh, yes! A King of Dance, indeed!"

It was Rexy's turn to blush as he spoke to them passively while Atticus and the others laughed.

"Aw, whatever. You people just don't understand my moves like I do."

Then, it finally showed Tulip and Bryce when they were saying their vows before, during, and after they kissed. The two of them blushed from the pictures as they looked to each other. And then, at the end of the slideshow, it showed the following words, "Thank you for staying at Cupid's Arrow!" Not long after, that, the door made and unlocking sound, gesturing to the group that it was able to be opened again. As Bryce opened the door, the bellhop held a bag of their original clothes and handed it to Bailey as he spoke to them.

"Thank you for your stay at Cupid's Arrow. I hope you will have pleasant memories from here on out."

"Uh, thanks. You, too."

As the group began to leave the car, Tulip turned back to Des and spoke to him.

"Hey, Des? Thanks for everything. I wasn't into it at first, but it really helped me get close to him."

Upon being complimented, Des made a happy smile as he spoke to her.

"Aw, you're welcome. It's what we do."

Des then made a wink to Tulip, confusing her for a moment before she caught on.

"Wait... was this whole marriage thing fake?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But hey, you kids are growing and getting wiser. And if that's all that matters, how can it be fake?"

Tulip began to see the wisdom in his logic as she spoke.

"I... guess that makes sense. But what about Grace and Simon? Did they know?"

"Oh, Grace, for sure. She got it all figured out. I like her. But that Simon character? Oh, boy, he was so maaaad, he practically trashed the place until Grace kissed him. Ah, that makes me laugh every time I think about it..."

Tulip raised an eyebrow, feeling he was getting off-topic.

"But..."

"But, to make a long story short, eh... it's 50/50 that guy even has a chance of going home. But ultimately, whether he goes or not, it's up to him to choose a better life. A good way to do that is through honesty. Can't make that rule up."

Tulip recalled the image on the picture of Grace and Simon that Des gave her earlier before looking ahead to Bryce as she spoke softly to herself.

"No, you can't..."

It wasn't long before Tulip got out the door next as Des bade her farewell.

"Well, anyway, I hope you kids have fun out there."

Tulip nodded to him as she walked out of the door before it closed. For the moment, the group was still standing out in front of the new door in front of them, and it was open, revealing a graph-chart like car that had lines and arrows that either supported or went through them. They must've been waiting for her since she decided to chat one more time with Des.

"Hey, thanks for waiting, guys. You didn't have to do that."

Bailey went up to Tulip as she replied.

"No, it's alright. It is your big day."

This made Tulip blush a bit before she went near her and began to whisper.

"So, are you gonna tell him about how you really feel?"

"Maybe... I don't know. I don't know how to tell him."

Bailey gave her a small smile as she replied before turning to the others.

"I think I know how to fix that. Hey, guys. I think it's time we got dressed back in our old clothes. Women, children, and denizens can go first. I'll go in with Penny, Ava, Rexy, One-One, and Atticus. Tulip and Bryce can stay out on the bridge for a bit."

Bryce understood immediately. It's only fair that they get the chance to dress up. Although, he didn't know why Tulip was being left out.

"Okay. But why can't Tulip come with you?"

"Oh, when you guys dress up, it's gonna be between you two."

This earned mad blushes from Tulip and Bryce as they replied simultaneously.

"Bailey!"

"Come on, guys. I didn't say you had to look. Relax. Anyway, see you in a few. Come on, everyone."

Bailey huddled everyone into the door as Rexy felt that caution was to be issued concerning his outfit.

"Hey, try not to push so much, okay? This outfit is dry clean only."

With most of the group already in the other car, Tulip and Bryce looked to each other as they spoke softly, feeling a bit awkward to be put in that position despite their "marriage".

"So... guess it's just the two of us?"

"Yeah. It looks that way."

The two sat down near the edge and looked out at the wasteland that surrounded them. For such a desolate place, they didn't expect it to be so... peaceful. Maybe not as peaceful as the birds chirping back home, but it held a certain mystique. After a moment, Tulip began to speak to him.

"Hey, Bryce? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

She was about to speak, but she hesitated for a moment before making a deep breath and resuming her words.

"Well... do you remember what I said back there? That a part of me really did want to marry you?"

"Yeah."

"Thing is, I may have said it to keep Des happy, but... I totally meant it."

Bryce began to blush deeply as he felt that she out of all people would know how wrong it was to be married so soon.

"Wait. You're saying... you didn't care about the exit before?"

"I did. But there was more to it. After what Des said about either being married or not, it made me remember what I said to my parents before they divorced."

"So, what did that have to do with our 'marriage'?"

"Pretty much how I felt. When you said it wouldn't work, and I'm not blaming you for that, it made me think. What if we end up just like my parents? What if we loved each other for a while, but then we drift apart and end up... alone? I just didn't want that to happen..."

Bryce's blush faded as his understanding came upon his face and he tried to reassure her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Tulip, that couldn't happen to us."

"It's easy for you to say. For all I know, your parents might as well have a perfect love story. You may think it can go like that, Bryce. But the truth is, there's no such thing. Not even for your parents..."

Bryce's face softened as he gently placed his hand under her chin before turning her face to his and then gently placing it on the side of her face.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe nobody has a prefect love story. In fact, there were a few times that my parents argued like yours did. But at the end of the day, they still loved each other, because they knew each other. I'm willing to bet your parents knew each other, too. They may not have been happy together like the way you wanted. But in some way, I know they are happy together still, because they had you. Love and relationships? These things take time and risk to find that right person. And it may not always work out, but it's the best thing you could do in your life. Same goes for trust, too. And right now, there's no one else that I trust more than you, Tulip."

When he finished his moving speech, Tulip began to shed tears of joy as she smiled, trying hard not to sob as she replied.

"Bryce... I... I trust you, too."

Bryce smiled back as he wiped her tears away.

"That's good."

The two of them looked to each other's eyes, staring into each other for a moment before they leaned closer while they closed their eyes and opened their mouths before gently pressing them together. While they kissed, they held their arms around each other and gently caressed each other's bodies before moving away to break the kiss as a blush came over them, neither of them willing to hide it. After a moment, Bailey's voice spoke out behind them, causing them to turn around to see the gang back in their old clothes.

"Hey, you guys! You can get dressed now!"

Tulip and Bryce turned to each other before the latter smiled as he spoke.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

The two of them walked into the car as they each held their hands before the door closed behind them and turned the doorknob.

A/N: So, what do you think? If you have any positive comments or feedback, feel free to review and/or P.M. me. If not, then keep it to yourself and don't ruin it for everyone else. And in case you were wondering about the Cupids' voices, they are listed as such below.

Henry Winkler – Des

Bellhop – Dwight Schultz

Chad – Kevin McDonald

Charlie – Kevin Michael Richardson

Gregor – Graham McTavish

And also, I'll work on a lemon chapter for Tulip and Bryce, but only after I finish the rest of my story. But so you know, it'd take place between the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next one. And keeping in mind the tones of love and the darker themes, the rating in the next book may diverge from a T rating, meaning it's a 50/50 chance it may be intended for a mature audience, but it is definite that my version of Book Three will be rated M for the aforementioned darker theme. That being said, I wish for anyone reading this to please watch Infinity Train legally on HBO Max so we can save the show and get a renewal for Book 4. We all must know what happens to Hazel.