Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Mercedes went to the garden while she was waiting for the others to arrive. Even though the happenings of the past three days have been so exhausting, she kind of felt excited as well.

At the end of the day, Coralee didn't deem her a clumsy clown, unbelievable! She still needed to think about how Coralee had rolled her eyes whenever she told other people about her little sister. Mercedes, the bumpkin…

But the highlight of the day was that she got to know Sergio. What a nice guy! She couldn't remember that Anthony had been so friendly towards Coralee.

Inside, the chef was about to prepare the ingredients for cooking, at the other side of the building was a spacious living room where the stools have been arranged for the wedding ceremony. Mercedes bit her lower lip. What if Coralee didn't like the idea? What if she got cold feet due to the delay?

If so, she was an idiot. Mercedes smiled and was about to reenter the house when she heard engines of a car. She turned around and spotted a taxi with four passengers.

Waving at them and with a grin, she ran to her stunned mother and sister that met her halfway in front of the entrance.

"I thought you wanted to go shopping?", Coralee shouted surprisedly. Kurt also got out and winked at Mercedes behind their backs.

"Nope."

Phyllis looked tired and weakened. "I was worried."

"Mom, please focus on yourself, okay? Are you alright?"

Kurt whispered something to the cabdriver, who nodded and retrieved his newspaper.

Coralee pointed at the hotel. "What a nice place", she said. "I don't want to upset you, but what the hell are you doing here?"

Mercedes was about to explode internally since she was so excited about the news, but she held herself back. "It's great here, right?"

Coralee had gone to the entrance and looked at the beautiful plants of the garden. "One day, I want to stay longer at a place like this. If only Sergio could see it", she whispered delightedly. "Maybe I will tell him about it, and we can both come here again."

Mercedes barely could contain her grin. "He is here, Corr."

Coralee threw her a killing glance. "Sergio is at Venice, Mercedes, he is probably talking to the press. The rumor mill is in full spin. I wonder what stories they will publish, who dumped who. But I guess the American black gold digger bitch will come off worst." She sighed and looked away.

Mercedes came over to her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Sergio is here. He is in there."

Her sister looked at her, disbelieving. But also hopeful. "He…is here?"

"Yes. He drove here last night. Coralee?"

"Yes?", she whispered.

"He rescheduled the wedding."

"What?"

"You can marry him here. Today." Mercedes was thrilled about it herself. "If you want to."

"Mercedes, stop fucking with me!", her big sister scolded her. "That's not funny."

"Oh, come on, Coralee!" She was a little frustrated because Coralee's first reaction was to assume she lied to her. "Do you really think I would joke about something like that?"

"Yes!", Coralee retorted, but after her sister's glance, she said insecurely: "No?"

"Of course, I am not joking, boo." Mercedes felt her. She felt that Coralee didn't dare to hope it could be true. "Listen. Sergio has worked hard to prepare all this."

"Sergio is here?", her mother shouted. "What a wonderful surprise! Did you hear that, Kurt?"

"I need to confess that I already knew", he admitted sheepishly. "I will explain it later."

Coralee had tears in her eyes. She turned around and looked at her beaming mother. "We can marry here? Today?"

"Yes, baby", Phyllis answered with a watery smile, close to tears.

Kurt had retrieved a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. Mercedes' mom sat down at the chair next to the entrance.

"Oh mom!" Coralee hugged Phyllis before she pulled away and took Mercedes' hand. "Thanks, Mercy, for everything you have done for me."

"Hey, that's what sisters are for, right?" Mercedes grinned. And added after one second of thinking: "Please don't answer that one." Chuckling, she went over to Kurt. "Thanks", she whispered to him.

"You are so welcome", he answered with a wink.

Suddenly, Coralee put her hand in front of her mouth. "My dress! It's still at the hotel!" She looked from Mercedes to Kurt to her mother. But then, she grinned and looked down on her white hotpants, her yellow tanktop, and her blue ankle boots. "Sometimes, things do not go according to plan, right? I will just put some of those beautiful flowers into my hair and marry in this outfit, right?"

Kurt put his hands on his hips. "Over my dead body!", he exclaimed indignantly. "Marry like that if your great wedding dress is in the car boot of the taxi over there?"

Coralee gasped for air. "You…you…no freaking way!"

"I need to admit that I have not been that honest this morning", he answered sheepishly. "But I was successful in abducting the wedding wardrobe of the three of you."

"You!" Mercedes pointed at Kurt, laughing. "You said you wanted the keys to my room to check whether the walls were as thin as in your room!"

Kurt shrugged. "I did, and yes, they are. And well ... that's not all I have done while at your room…"

Her mother needed to laugh shortly. "I hope you have packed the right one", she berated him jokingly. "Because I have packed two dresses."

"Trust me, I have brought all of them", Kurt assured her with another wink. "Even your toothbrush."

"My dress is in there?", Coralee wheezed and looked over to the cab as if it was an alien.

Kurt nodded.

"Oooooh!" Coralee's screech was so loud the others needed to cover their ears.

"I need to see it! Show it to me!" She jumped up and down like a small kid. Mercedes felt wistful, she hadn't seen her sister jump like that for fifteen years.

"Just wait one minute", she insisted, noticing that she was close to crying again. "First, I need to ask you something."

Coralee looked at her impatiently. "Yes?"

"Coralee Olivia Jones, do you want to marry Sergio Bellucci, now and at this place? Without paparazzi or onlookers, with few guests, and self-made flower bouquets?"

Coralee and her mother started crying.

Mercedes waited and bit her lower lip, but finally, her sister nodded. "More than anything", she sniffled.

"That's enough", Mercedes chuckled. "Would you please stop crying if you don't want to look like a red-eyed panda at the wedding photos? That will be taken with our phones, as I realized now."

"Good idea." Coralee gulped and blew her nose. "Oh Mercy, I cannot wait to see him!"

"But you need to. Until you go down the altar." Mercedes enjoyed her new power.

"Okay." She looked to Kurt who put his thumbs up and went to the taxi to pay the cabdriver and put out the luggage. The cabdriver helped them carry the luggage while Mercedes and Kurt carefully put out the dressbag.

Coralee's eyes went wide. "Finally! I cannot believe it has been in there all the time. I should have felt its presence, right?"

Mercedes laughed. "Sure. Mom, your keys for the room are at the reception and the hotel owner has already run a bath for you. Off you go."

"That's nice of you, but if you wouldn't mind, I would love to attend the last fittings on my daughter's wedding dress."

Coralee hugged her. "Are you sure? It could take a while…"

"Just try to change my mind", she answered. "I assume there are chairs at that room?"

"Of course, or so I think…"

"What are we waiting for, then? Girls? Kurt – you have waited for that moment for so long. Do you have your sewing kit?"

"Of course." He smiled, and Mercedes led them to the mansion.

"Uhm, guys?" Coralee had stopped.

Everyone turned to her.

"Yes, baby?", her mother asked.

"Could I ask you for a favor?"

"Just spit it out, princess, today is your day." Mercedes made sure the dress didn't touch the floor. It would be bad if the dress got damaged now, only a couple of minutes before the wedding.

"I want you to make the final fittings on my dress, Mercy."

Mercedes almost would have dropped the dress when she heard that.

"Kurt", Coralee went on "What do you think? You travelled all the way from Paris, and I really do appreciate that, but I want Mercedes to be by my side and do it for me if it's okay for you."

Carefully, Kurt handed the dressbag to Mercedes and turned to the bride to-be. "That's exactly what I wanted to suggest, but I was afraid you would think I didn't take my job serious. I am convinced that's the perfect decision for a perfect day."

"Really?" Coralee blinked at him.

"Oh, yes." He looked at Mercedes and cocked his eyebrows. "Mercedes and I are working together from now on anyway, so…"

"You what?", Coralee screamed.

Mercedes smiled at her sister, thrilled.

"Great job, Mercy!"

"That's wonderful!"

Her mother and her sister hugged her at the same time and kept asking questions at once, and poor Mercedes had a hard time answering them all.

"Not now", she whispered "We need to get ready."

Finally, they pulled away. Kurt pointed at the entrance. "I am going to make myself useful otherwise and get us some champagne."

Coralee turned to her little sister. "So, Mercy, are you ready for helping me through the most important day of my life?"

Mercedes put her hands on her hips. "Who knows? I will try."

They hugged and bounced up and down like two little schoolgirls while Kurt and Phyllis exchanged happy smiles.

Another car stopped at the parking, and Coralee's eyes widened. "That's Sergio's mom!", she shouted excitedly. "And his dad – wait until you get to know him, Mercy. He is such a sweetheart! Oh, and his bisexual sister Aurora, her baby Vittoria is officially the cutest babygirl in the world. And that's Aurora's husband, his name is Federico, and he is soo nice! And that's Sergio's gramma! She's a little grumpy, but otherwise, she is the kindest gramma the world has ever seen…"

Mercedes couldn't memorize all the names that followed.

"Well, I will take care of the champagne", Kurt commented and went inside.

…

Coralee didn't allow anyone to open the zipper of the dressbag as long as she hadn't taken a shower and put on one of the hotel's soft bathrobes. Mercedes had just returned from the visit to Sergio's room where she had told the nervous – and now joyful- groom that the wedding would take place. She took the dressbag and laid it onto the bed.

"Shall we?", Mercedes asked.

Coralee had covered her mouth and nodded quickly, so Mercedes slowly opened the zipper. She was pretty nervous, even though she hadn't designed the dress herself.

"Oh, Corrie…", she wheezed when she looked at it. Her mother came rushing over, and the three women looked at Coralee's dress, awe-struck.

It was just perfect.

Coralee was too nervous to even move, Mercedes and her mom carefully lifted the dress out of the bag and gasped for air.

"Kurt really excelled himself", Mercedes whispered.

That dress was indeed simple and modest. It was sleeveless, its white skirt was out of silk with pink roses on it that each had tiny crystals.

"That's perfection", her mother whispered.

"The Charles-Worth collection" Mercedes sighed. "So smartish. I would recognize it anywhere. And Kurt has done a great job."

"Roses!", her mother exclaimed and touched one of the roses.

"Your favorite flowers, mom", Coralee whispered. "Right?"

Their mom nodded.

"I…I never would have thought it would be so cute", her big sister stuttered.

"Cute? Cute?!", Mercedes shouted, feigning astonishment. "How can you call a creation of Antoine Décoste, I mean, Kurt Hummel cute? Iconic, yes. Breathtaking, yes. Flawless, yes. But cute? Shame on you!"

"But it really is cute!" Her mother laughed. "Come on, let's see whether it fits."

Coralee, freshly showered, dropped the bathrobe, she only wore her white lace underwear - and a breezy garter Kurt had brought in a box.

"Jesus!" Mercedes laughed. "I guess you shouldn't show that to your mom!"

Phyllis hit her jokingly.

"Shall we?" Nervous, Coralee came closer to the dress, Mercedes helped her put it on.

"That's what great silk feels like; I remember all the materials we have touched at college, when we…"

"Mercedes?"

"Yes, Corr?"

"Please be so nice and shut up."

Mercedes did as she said and closed the zipper of the dress carefully.

Her mother started crying, and her hands were trembling while Coralee looked at herself in the mirror.

Mercedes adjusted a few spots so that the dress fitted exactly, but Kurt had already done a great job; there was not much to do. Fifteen minutes later, she was done and stepped back to look at her achievement.

"You look beautiful!", she said to her big sister.

"It's even better than at the last fitting", Coralee whispered. "And that was two weeks ago."

Her mother blew her nose and gave them two thumbs up. Suddenly, they all needed to laugh.

"I never would have thought I could look so pretty", Coralee said with a beam. "Just look at the trail…"

"That's because of the quilting", Mercedes deadpanned. "If you…"

Coralee lifted her hand. "Learn all the details now could kill the mood." She laughed. "Let's just imagine angels sewed it. It's perfect, just look at my waist!" She spun around in front of the mirror. "Thanks so much, Mercedes."

"You are welcome, big sis."

The sisters looked at each other, exchanging warm smiles. That's when Mercedes happily realized that all the bad feelings were gone for good.

"You know what?", her mother spoke up "The paparazzi never would have appreciated that masterpiece."

Coralee smirked at her. "You are so right."

"And what about your shoes?", Mercedes asked her sister.

She helped Coralee into her elegant satin pumps and went to the table to take the flower bouquet she had prepared. "You can send me to hell for that, but Sergio had plucked the flowers that morning. They were meant for the decoration of the dining table."

"He did?"

Mercedes nodded. "I kept some and made a quick bouquet."

"You made it?" Coralee rushed to her sister and took the bouquet. "But it's beautiful!"

"Oh, please", Mercedes said. "I'm sure you have hired real pros that made a perfect bouquet for your wedding yesterday."

"Yes, it was indeed perfect. Sergio's mother has picked it and it was as big as a laundry machine." Phyllis needed to laugh. "But I love that bouquet you made. It's just as perfect, little sister."

Mercedes pumped her fist in the air. They looked out of the windows and noticed that the cab drove off.

"So there will be no more guests?"

"Nope, it's going to be a rather small wedding, Corr", Mercedes said. "Sergio didn't invite that many people."

"A family-wedding!" Coralee was enthused. "Perfect, perfect, perfect! Oh, how I love that man!"

Mercedes smiled. She hadn't expected that her sister would be happy to marry beyond the limelight. But she had been wrong.

"That's what I wished for", Coralee whispered with tears in her eyes. She turned to her mother. "You are so quiet now, mom. How do you feel?"

Phyllis smiled. "Good. I was just thinking."

"About what?" Mercedes watched her sister walk to the bed and sit down next to their mom.

"I'm just wondering…nevermind."

Coralee frowned and urged Phyllis to continue.

"How do you feel to…marry without your dad?"

"Oh, he…" Coralee remained motionless for a while.

Mercedes held her breath. Her dad had caused their mom so much pain, he was so aloof and reserved. But how did Coralee feel? After all, Coralee used to love him dearly, other than Mercedes. She could barely remember him because she had been so much younger than her older sister when he left for good. In her wedding fantasies, there had never been a dad that led her to the altar. It made her kind of sad, but that was how it was. What if Coralee didn't share that sentiment?

"He is long gone, mom. There is nothing we can do about it." Coralee hugged her mother tightly. "I am not sad, it's the opposite, actually. So let's don't feel blue, I won't allow it, okay? I am ready now to go down the stairs and marry the man of my dreams."

"Sounds like a plan, Corr." Mercedes smirked. "And I totally agree with you. Let's get the party started!"

Only two chapters left, guys. Unbelievable, right?