Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:

Linger by The Cranberries

Fingertips by OneRepublic

So Far From Home by Sam Tinnesz

One More Light by Linkin Park (specifically for the end of this chapter)

I Knew I Was Here to Love Ethan by Rachel Portman (specifically for the end of this chapter)

It's a long chapter because I didn't have the heart to split it into two.

A Few Days Later

Lacy returned home from her work trip feeling guiltier than she already had when she left. Hutch had managed to work his way into her hotel room, and she'd broken her vow of never sleeping with him again. When she got home, she was nervous Lee would see the guilt all over her face, but she noticed he was not in the best of moods. It was distracting him from her, and that was helpful for her for now. She was getting a grip on this affair with Hutch after today. She was. It was done. Over.

"What's up with you?" she asked Lee after a few hours of being home.

"Nothing," he answered.

"Really? You're glowering," she pointed out. "Did you kiss Emily again?" He shifted uncomfortably in the arm chair before clearing his throat.

"Her sister kissed me."

"What?!"

"Apparently she didn't like that Emily had a boyfriend."

"But...when did this happen?"

"I went to Thanksgiving dinner, and they showed up, so she still thought I was Emily's boyfriend, and she cornered me and tried to convince me she was better than Emily."

"That...that's unbelievable."

"I know. Emily kicked her out."

"Good for her."

"Yea."

"Did you two...?" Lacy trailed off. She had to know.

"We just sat next to each other and briefly held hands."

"I see."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You set the tone for it, so I get you had to fake it a bit more. You were faking, right?" Lacy asked.

"Of course."

"Good." She looked at him and felt like she wasn't sure she believed him. He still looked bothered by something. "What else is going on then to make you look like Oscar the Grouch?"

"It's just something with a client," he said. "Just a possible scare for something, but I'm hoping to get an answer soon and it'll be fixed."

"Oh." He seemed genuinely stressed about it, so she decided to trust he was telling the truth. A small part of her wondered if he was lying, though.

"It'll sort itself out," he told her. "It always does."

"I never thought I'd see you as a wedding planner," Lacy teased him, sitting into his lap.

"I'm not..."

"I beg to differ," she chuckled, sliding her hands under his shirt. He was definitely a bit more muscular than Hutch, which she enjoyed.

"I'm just helping out. I'm not actually planning anything," he insisted.

"Still, you're involved. I think it's cute," Lacy said, kissing his cheek softly. The best way to move on from Hutch was to be with Lee. She knew that. It also would help him if he was struggling with thinking about Emily, which she was worrying he was. She tried not to let that burn inside.

"It's just nice to be involved in creating happiness and not death and grief," he said quietly. She stopped and looked at him, noticing how serious his face was right now. She knew about his old job. She knew how difficult and scary it was. She knew about Billy, not that he'd talk about it much.

"That's fair," she said, smoothing a hand over his right cheek. "Then I'm happy it's making you feel better."

"Thanks."

"You wanna...?" she asked, tilting her head towards their bedroom. He surprised her, though.

"I'm not feeling it right now, Lace," he said honestly. "I'm sorry. I've just got too much on my mind."

"Oh." This shocked her. Lee Christmas never turned down sex. What was going on?

"I'll make it up to you," he promised.

"Is there someone else?" she asked, blurting it out like a shotgun blast. He stared at her, incredulous.

"Are you serious?" he questioned. "You're seriously asking me that because I'm not in the mood?"

"You never turn me down," she insisted. "And you told me you kissed Emily the other day and pretended to be her girlfriend again..."

"Which was nothing, and it is nothing. I'm just tired and cranky and don't feel like it," he said firmly. "Try again tomorrow."

"Okay," she said, still feeling like he was lying to her. He slid her off and walked away, going to bed. She sat alone for the longest time before she started to cry.

After all, she deserved his rejection and possible unfaithfulness, and she knew it.

The Next Morning

Lee was nervous. He paced outside Emily's door, reaching to knock before pulling his hand back and pacing again. He needed to know. He needed to find out if she was pregnant or not. She went to her doctor the day before, and it had distracted him all day. It had thrown him off his game, leading him to turning down Lacy's advances and making her suspicious that he was cheating. He felt guilty because she didn't know he'd kissed Emily more than once and that he was failing to not think about it and wondering what the hell was wrong with him.

"Shit!" Emily's voice exclaimed, sounding startled. He whipped his head to look at her standing in her doorway. "What the hell are you doing here? You scared me."

"Sorry. I just...how did it...how did it go yesterday?" he asked.

"Fine."

"Are you...? Did you go for the blood test?"

"It takes more than an afternoon to get the results," she told him.

"Oh."

"But it doesn't matter. I'm not pregnant."

"How do you know?" he asked, feeling confused. She raised a brow at him and started to laugh when he didn't figure it out.

"Come on, Lee," she said. "What happens every month when you have a fully functioning uterus?" He blinked. Then he understood.

"Oh..."

"I got it this morning," she said. "All clear. No baby."

"The nausea?"

"Just something I ate I guess. Or stress. It happens."

"Okay."

"You can relax now."

"I wasn't..."

"You weren't all tense and anxious pacing outside my door just now?" she asked, interrupting him.

"Alright, so maybe I was. I worry about you," he admitted.

"You don't have to." They were walking to the elevator side by side at this point. She pressed the down button when they got there.

"I worry about my friends," he insisted. She met his eyes, and he wondered if she knew he was struggling with thinking of her as just a friend.

"Well, I'm saying you don't have to. I can look after myself." She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, stepping into the elevator when it arrived. He stepped in after her. She pressed the ground floor button and rested on her left foot, arms crossed.

"Mel asked me to drive him to the wedding," Lee said, not knowing what else to talk about. The Dawson wedding was always a safe ground.

"That's sweet. He adores you," Emily noted.

"He's joked I'm like his long lost son," Lee chuckled.

"Maybe you are," Emily said, nudging him playfully.

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically, nudging her back. It was hard to not blurt out his muddled thoughts about their relationship to her in that moment, but he let it go. He didn't want to ruin the relationship they did have with each other if she rejected him.

When they got to the office, Nigel met them by the door.

"I need both of you to help me this weekend," he said.

"With?" Emily asked.

"The Yang wedding."

"Yang?" Lee repeated, feeling a bit startled. Was Yin Yang getting married?!

"Yes. Young couple. Blue Hill. Actually, it'd give you a chance to see how your wedding could look," Nigel said, looking at Lee.

"Um, yea," Lee agreed. "That's good." Yin Yang definitely wasn't young. Still...it had jolted him into missing his team a lot more than usual.

"We'll be there," Emily promised.

"How's it going with the Dawson wedding?" Nigel asked, walking along with them now as they headed for their shared office space. Lee had unofficially moved in there, and no one had objected.

"Good," Emily answered, hanging up her coat and bag. Lee shrugged off his coat as well and slung it over the back of his chair. He'd made the mistake of tossing it over Emily's coat one day and had gotten a tongue lashing over how it had caused un-removable wrinkles in her fancy schmancy coat, not to mention made it smell like an "old, smelly leather boot." He'd used his chair ever since.

"It's coming up soon, right?"

"Three weeks," Emily answered. "But we're ahead of the game. Everything is pretty much finished. Just have to finalize a few things."

"Wonderful. I might have a new couple for you when it's over."

"Sure."

"Have a good day," Nigel said, tapping the doorframe. Lee nodded back at him as he got settled at his card table. Emily wouldn't part with even a corner of her desk. He'd tried. She'd claimed he kept going over half of the desk and onto her side. He'd gone as far as measuring and drawing a line on the desk to show half to prove he wasn't, and she'd told him to sod off and get his own damn desk, so he'd dragged out the card table from the closet.

"Hope you didn't have any weekend plans," Emily said, shuffling files and turning on her computer.

"Nope."

"Lacy's working?"

"Yup."

"She should get some time at Christmas," Emily assured him. "Miranda has two girls, and she doesn't screw around with Christmas like she does with the other holidays."

"Good to know."

"I used to get a week actually," Emily said, reflecting. "Starting the day before Christmas Eve and going to the day after New Year's. It was always a relief."

"An entire week of uninterrupted time with Lacy," Lee mused. "I don't know what we'll do with ourselves."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Emily said absently, clicking her mouse and resting her chin on her hand.

"Possibly."

"I imagine you'll barely leave the bedroom the first few days," she said, still not looking at him. He stared at her now, wondering why she'd even be thinking about that. As if she felt him staring, she looked at him and immediately went red in the face.

"Sorry," she said. "That was inappropriate."

"Is that what you did?" he asked, deciding it was only fair. "With David?"

"I wasn't seeing him during my time at Runway."

"I see."

They were regarding each other carefully now. Lee still wanted to know about David, but Emily hadn't brought him up since Thanksgiving. He was pretty sure she wasn't going to. He didn't have to ask if Erica had called her. He'd overheard her talking to Jane about it yesterday. She'd said Erica was not speaking to her and was totally fine with that.

"I have to call Mary's daughter," she said after a moment. "About dress shopping."

"Okay."

She busied herself with the task, and Lee forced himself to go about his.

Saturday

Emily was walking around the perimeter of the church, supervising the guests. Lee was keeping an eye on the groomsmen. He'd already confiscated a bottle of scotch to prevent early rowdiness before the ceremony started. When Emily pointed out one groomsman was drinking a beer outside as though his life depended on it, Lee had practically tackled the man and wrestled it from his grasp.

"Get wasted after," he'd said, giving the man a bit of a smack on the shoulder as they went back inside. Emily chuckled to herself, amused at how seriously Lee took his job to make things perfect. The bride, Mara, was beautiful, her black hair in a type of twist with daisies trailing down through it. Her husband to be, Takashi, was rocking on his feet, anxiously waiting to see his bride. Emily did enjoy that part. She recalled Jane talking about how she always looked at the groom instead of the bride when the wedding started, so she did now too.

Once the ceremony was finished and dinner was over, Emily relaxed a little. People were dancing and laughing, and the groomsmen had their scotch back. She noticed that Lee looked nice in his suit. She was wearing a dark blue dress with one strap over her left shoulder. The skirt part had a glitter-like appearance to it.

"Another job well done for FLOP," Lee said, joining her at the back and leaning against the wall next to her.

"I swear to God," she started, gesturing with her hand.

"I'm kidding!" he laughed. "I know it's FLWP."

"What does it stand for?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him as he looked almost stumped.

"Freaking Loco Wedding Planners," he answered. She rammed her fist into his ribs, making him exclaim and cough from the impact.

"Fabulously Lovely Wedding Planners," he tried again.

"Lee..."

"I know, I know," he said, holding up his hand. "Forever Lonely Wedding Planners." She shoved him again, and he laughed as he tried to fend her off. She managed to grab ahold of his ear and twisted it, making him yelp.

"Alright, alright, alright!" he exclaimed.

"Say it," she ordered.

"Forever Loved Wedding Planning."

"Good." She released him, and he cracked his neck and straightened his shirt, trying to look undisturbed by what just happened.

"Just for that," he said, "you have to dance with me."

"I don't dance on the job."

"Oh, come on," he said, tugging at her arm. "It won't kill you."

"It's unprofessional..." she tried as he succeeded in pulling her towards the dance floor slowly.

"You really think anyone will notice?" he asked, gesturing. She looked. Nobody was even looking at them.

"Fine," she caved. "One dance. That's it."

She groaned inwardly as it changed to a slow song just as they got there. He easily slid an arm around to place a hand on her lower back while slipping his other hand into hers, moving her around gently. She didn't like being this close to him anymore. It was too hard. She'd conceded to the fact that she had feelings for him, but she wasn't going to do anything about it. She was a professional. Lee was technically still her client. They worked on his wedding between everything else. She knew he was going through with it.

"How does it apply to you?" she asked, looking at his tattoo on his arm as they danced. She'd seen it only a few times before, and she kept forgetting to ask about it.

"What?"

"Expendable?" She nodded her head towards his inner arm.

"Oh, that. It's the name of our team."

"Because you're all expendable?"

"Pretty much."

"That's depressing," she commented. He gave a dry laugh.

"I know."

She looked around at everyone as they kept dancing. She could feel herself relaxing a bit more.

"What does yours say?"

"My what?"

"Your tattoo."

She was trying to recall how he'd have seen it, but then she remembered he'd walked in on her half naked and flushed. She cleared her throat.

"It's nothing."

"It's a paragraph. That's not nothing."

"It's not a paragraph!"

"Close enough," he said with a smirk. He moved to spin her slowly, and she felt his eyes looking for it. The strap of her dress was hiding most of it, though, and it was too dark to read it anyway. When she was facing him again, she felt herself trembling. She needed to change the subject. Now.

"Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"The work?" That was a poor topic to bring up while dancing to a love song. She was doing her best to distract herself from how good he smelled right now and how wonderful his hand on her lower back felt or how she was feeling ignited inside at the idea of his fingers on her skin.

"Not really the work. I miss my team," he answered.

"You don't visit them," she noted.

"I mean to. I just haven't yet."

"Don't feel you can't. I'll be okay without you for a few days," she said.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked jokingly.

"No," she answered, a bit flustered. "I'm just saying you don't have to come to work every single day if you want a few days off to go see them."

"I see. Because let me tell you something," he said as the song ended and another, even slower one came on, "you'll never get rid of me, Emily Charlton." The way he said her name, the way he was looking at her, it made her feel even more overwhelmed inside.

"Well," she said, trying to make her voice sound less weird. "Lucky me." Without knowing why it was happening, she found herself moving in a bit closer to him, and he rested his left cheek against hers, holding her close. It was all too much.

"Lee?"

Emily jumped, startled to see Lacy standing there next to them. Lee was just as surprised as he let go of Emily and stared at her.

"Lace," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I got off early and thought I'd surprise you. Alison told me where you'd be," Lacy said, looking back and forth between them, suspicion etched on her face. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Emily answered. "Please, for the love of God, take over for me. He dragged me out here against my will after I specifically said I hate dancing, and then he had the nerve to tell me that I got the color scheme all wrong for your wedding. As if I could get it wrong. I have a copy of what you gave me."

"It's wrong," Lee insisted, going along with it. "It's light blue, not powder blue."

"And what I showed you was light blue!"

"It clearly was not."

"Are you saying I'm color blind?"

"I am," he confirmed.

"Oh my God," Emily groaned, looking at Lacy. "You see? He's a nightmare. I don't know how you can marry someone so bullheaded and annoying."

"That's why I love him," Lacy said, marking her territory. Emily smiled at her. Message received.

"Well, please dance with him so he'll bugger off and leave me alone. I have to check on the bride and groom. You know, work? Like we're paid to do?" Emily finished.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry for making you sway like a tree for a few minutes," Lee said sarcastically.

"Just...dance with him," Emily said to Lacy again, turning to go.

"You got it," Lacy said, nodding. Emily walked away, feeling the heat in her cheeks from embarrassment and longing. There was no doubt Lacy would have seen the way they'd looked at each other if she'd been watching very long. No woman was an idiot when it came to smelling a possible affair. She cursed herself for letting him pull her into that dance. She couldn't be doing things like that with him. She was considering telling Nigel to tell Lee they didn't need him anymore after the Dawson wedding. Being around him every day was just too hard.

...

Lee could see the questions in Lacy's eyes as she started to dance with him. Seeing her there had completely taken him off guard, and he knew she'd seen the way he'd looked at Emily before interrupting them. He could just tell.

"Are you happy, Lee?" she asked on cue.

"Yes," he answered.

"With me?"

"Yes," he said strongly.

"Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie?"

"Because you were looking at Emily like she was the only person in the room," Lacy answered. "And you've been spending a lot of time at work with her."

"Are you accusing me of cheating?" he asked.

"Are you?"

"No!"

The song changed to a faster one, making them both abandon the dance floor and head for the hallway. Lee caught sight of Emily watching them, a worried expression on her face. He tried to convey to her things were fine with a single look, but he didn't think she got the message.

"Lee, do you want to marry me?" Lacy confronted him once they were alone.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Do you want to marry me?" he countered.

"Do not answer a question with a question. You know how much that aggravates me," Lacy huffed.

"Do you?" he prompted anyway.

"Yes!"

"Then there's nothing to worry about," he told her. "Okay?" He reached to cup her face. "We both want to marry each other. End of story."

"I need you to stop spending so much time with Emily," Lacy blurted out. He raised a brow.

"How do you propose I do that? I work with her."

"Stop working with her."

"What?"

"Find something else to do that brings happiness into people's lives," Lacy went on. "Knowing that you're spending every day with a beautiful British woman, who you kissed, I might add, is tearing me up inside."

"I don't ask you to quit your job because you work with good looking men," he shot back.

"I don't look at them the way you looked at Emily tonight," Lacy countered.

"Lace..." So she had seen. He felt like a shit. He hadn't meant to feel this way about Emily, and he didn't even know what he was feeling. He knew better.

"Please, Lee," she begged. "For us." He looked at her and knew where her feelings of uncertainty and worry were coming from. He'd been there before. As much as he didn't want to quit, he knew if he was going to have Lacy's trust and stop getting confused by Emily, he had to quit.

"Alright," he agreed. "But after the Dawson wedding. I'm too involved in it to quit now."

"When is it?"

"In three weeks."

"Okay. After that, you stop."

"Okay."

"I'll take over planning our wedding," Lacy went on. "I'll spend more time with you."

"Lacy, you can trust me," he started. He'd get back on track. Without being around Emily, he'd stop being confused. He could focus on them again. He knew it.

"I just don't want you to get bored of me," she cut him off. "I know I haven't been around. I know that's not good."

"Hey," he said, taking her arms in his hands firmly. "We're good, Lace. Okay? We're good." She searched his eyes with hers, revealing fear and anxiety until a bit of calm started to take over.

"Okay," she said, nodding slowly. "We're good." She kissed him then, and he kissed her back. When they broke apart and she took his hand to pull him away, he caught sight of Emily in the shadows. The darkness did not do well enough to hide the pained expression on her face.

It made him feel even guiltier for telling Lacy they were good when he was still so conflicted inside.

...

Jane got to the office and noticed that Soapy was not in her usual spot, nor did she come running when Jane shook the treat bag. She frowned.

"Soapy?" she called, going to look for her. She suddenly realized the cat was probably giving birth if she hadn't already finished. She pulled out her phone and called Lee.

"Yea?" he answered, his voice sounding like he'd gone to hell and back.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine. What's wrong?"

"I can't find Soapy."

"I'll be right there," Lee said, hanging up. Jane waited, and after 25 minutes, he showed up. He looked frazzled.

"You sure you're okay?" Jane asked.

"I'm fine. Why are you here this late on a Saturday?" he asked, walking past her and beginning his search for the cat.

"I just had some last minute things to do for my clients' wedding next weekend."

Lee just grunted as he bent to search in places. Jane walked alongside him.

"Did something happen?" she asked, dying to know. He shot her a look.

"No."

"You do realize that your emotions are on your sleeve right now, right?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Lee said. He stopped quickly, dropping to his knees and looking inside the closet in the hall. Jane heard him chuckle.

"Is she in there?"

"Oh yea," he answered. She squeezed in next to him to see Soapy among four kittens. Her heart melted.

"Awwww," she said, unable to help herself. "What do we do for her?"

"I'll handle it, but she's good for now by the looks of it," Lee answered, pushing himself up off the floor and dusting himself off. "I gotta go, though. You good?"

"Yea. Thanks. I was worried something else might have happened to her."

"See you," Lee said, disregarding her attempts at conversation. She waved goodbye and he left. She looked back at the kittens again. Her heart melted just a little bit.

Three Weeks Later

"It's done," Emily said, shutting her binder with a bang.

"And with a few hours to spare," Lee commented.

"Shut up," she retorted. He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. Things between them weren't entirely the way they used to be, but Emily was feeling less pained just by looking at him unlike in the days after watching him and Lacy together. The silly thing was that they were engaged! They were supposed to kiss and love each other. There was nothing wrong with that. It only hurt a tiny bit the more he pulled away and kept to himself these past few weeks.

"What time is rehearsal tonight?" he asked, looking at his phone. Emily knew he was waiting for a text from Lacy. She could just tell.

"5:30," she answered.

"Alright."

She resisted asking him how things were with Lacy. She noticed Jane, Nigel, and Andy were walking around holding their breaths whenever they saw Lee and Emily together. She wasn't sure what they were waiting for. Did they really think Lee would leave his fiancée for her?

"I'll see you there," Lee said, getting up and grabbing his coat. She didn't stop him. He'd kept his distance from her ever since the Yang wedding. She knew it was per Lacy's orders. She was fine with that. She didn't watch him go, and moments later, Jane appeared.

"Everything okay?"

"You ask me that every day, and every day, I give you the same answer," Emily said. "I'm fine, Jane." Jane also made her hang out with the kittens to remind her she had to pick one since she never did land a punch on Lee in self-defense class and lost the bet, which Emily didn't entirely hate because they were incredibly cute, but she wasn't going to let anyone else know that.

"Right. I just...I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad. I don't even know why you're feeling bad."

"I was...I was so sure," Jane said, twisting her lips. Emily knew what she was talking about. She just didn't say it out loud.

"Can you let Nigel know that I'm heading out now? I have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight."

"Okay."

Emily gave her a tight smile and went back to the motions of shutting off her computer and packing up. She hadn't told Nigel she wanted him to make Lee stop working with them after the Dawson wedding. She didn't know why. Well, it might have something to do with the idea of never seeing him unless he needed something for his wedding, and even that was being taken over by Lacy. More and more, Lacy was calling and discussing things. Emily knew that dance had really freaked Lacy out, and rightly so. Emily had spent hours (and still did) berating herself for having any sort of feeling for Lee other than businesslike.

She walked out into the cold and put her mind towards thinking about Christmas approaching. Her mother was begging her to come, and she didn't know if she wanted to. She wasn't talking to Erica still, so that would make for an awkward evening. She could always go away somewhere, but in reality, she preferred to just stay home. She couldn't handle her mother's guilt trip, though.

Then, she ran into Mary out on the street.

"Oh!" Mary exclaimed. "I'm glad I caught you!"

"Is everything all right?" Emily asked, feeling anxious suddenly. Was Mary going to bail on the wedding?!

"Yes, dear. Everything is fine," Mary answered. "I just wanted to tell you that if you wanted to, you could bring a date to our wedding tomorrow."

"Oh, no," Emily said with a chuckle. "I don't bring dates on a job."

"I insist."

"I don't have a date," Emily told her.

"A beautiful thing like you doesn't have a date? What is wrong with every single man on this planet?" Mary demanded with a smile.

"You tell me," Emily answered, laughing. She enjoyed Mary's company a lot. She'd learned quite a bit about this woman's life, and while it made her ache inside from missing those kinds of talks with her grandfather, it also made her feel close to her grandfather in a way. It was hard to explain.

"What about Lee?"

"Oh, he's getting married in the spring."

"Is he really? That's too bad."

Emily smiled at her, and reached to squeeze her arm gently. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"No, I believe that's all. I'll see you later," Mary said. "And thank you, dear, for working so hard on this for us. It means a lot." She gave Emily's hand a pat before walking to her car. Emily could tell Mary was jittery, but in a good way. She was finally marrying the man of her dreams many years later. It was a good feeling. Emily knew she'd never have that, and it broke her heart.

She went home to her empty apartment and did her best to pull herself together before heading for the rehearsal dinner.

...

Lee observed everything from his post, and he felt a sense of pride. He'd helped arrange this. He'd helped built this for a couple who had spent many years believing it was never going to happen.

It was so much better than filleting someone with his knife while on a job.

He smiled as he watched Emily show Mary's granddaughter how to walk down the aisle slowly before the bride. She was good with children. He thought of the photo of the girl in her apartment and wondered who she was and if Emily still talked to her.

"She's lovely," Mel said, coming up alongside Lee. He was on his way to the front of the church where the minister was waiting for him.

"She is," Lee agreed. "You're very lucky."

"I know," Mel said, nudging Lee in the ribs, "but I was talking about Emily." He said no more as he made his way to the minister. Lee knew what he meant. Emily was lovely, but she was his wedding planner. That was all.

He watched Mary head down with her son's arm linked through hers. He watched the minister explain everything he was going to do in the actual ceremony tomorrow. He watched Emily wipe away tears in her eyes at watching Mel and Mary beam at each other the entire time. Then everyone laughed when Mel insisted on kissing her anyway even if they were just practising.

While the rehearsal dinner had turned into a social gathering, he slipped away and found Emily standing alone by the bathrooms. He hadn't told her he was quitting after this wedding. He figured he should at least tell her before the day of the wedding. It would give her a chance to find someone else to hire for help.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi."

"Have you ever seen two people meant to be together like this?" he asked, leaning against the wall beside her.

"Only once before," she answered.

"And what happened?"

"They never made it down the aisle," she replied. Lee felt a bit puzzled, wondering why she looked so sad suddenly. She cleared her throat and kept her gaze off of him.

"Emily," he started. It was another difference. He'd stopped calling her Em. He was sure she noticed. "Once this is over..."

"You're quitting," she finished for him.

"I am," he confirmed, surprised. "How did you know?"

"You've backed off from me ever since Lacy caught us at the Yang wedding," she answered. "I knew it was coming."

"It's not what you think."

"And what do I think?" she challenged, looking at him finally. "You tell me."

"She's not wrong," he said softly. Emily's breath caught in her throat, and he felt bad and guilty all over again.

"Then it's for the best. It was nice knowing you," she said. She moved to leave, but he stopped her.

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad."

"You look and sound mad," he pointed out.

"I'm not!"

"Look, I can't...I can't be around you this much," he confessed. "It's making me feel confused and guilty."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"I really don't. You're gonna have to tell me cos I'm not a mind reader," Emily shot back. They were squared off now, and Lee wanted to tell her more than anything, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. It didn't exactly stop him in the end, though.

"Being around you makes me think I'm making a mistake with Lacy," he told her.

"And you don't want to think that."

"No."

"So stop hanging around me."

"It's why I'm quitting," he said, coming back full circle to what they'd started off talking about.

"Okay. Fine." She moved to walk past him, but he caught her arm to stop her again.

"That's it?" he asked.

"What else do you want me to say?" She pulled from his grip easily. He searched her eyes, and she knew he wanted her to say that she wasn't fine, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Okay," he said finally. "After tomorrow, I'm gone."

"Okay," she echoed.

"Lee! There you are," Mel said, finding him. "I need a favor."

"Anything," Lee said, tearing his eyes away from Emily.

"I know you're driving me tomorrow, but I'd love you to drive me to my wedding in my car if possible."

"Are you serious?" Lee asked. He'd heard rumors about this car and how magnificent it was.

"Yes! Built her myself. Worked on it for years, and it's ready to go. A 1960 Jaguar E-Type."

Lee whistled, impressed. The fact he was allowed to drive it was even better. Mel was beaming at him, so he smiled back.

"You got it. I'll drive it," Lee confirmed.

"Here are the keys. It'll be ready to go in the driveway when you get there. Pick me up on time," Mel instructed.

"I will, sir."

"Stop with that," Mel dismissed, waving his hand. "It makes me feel old."

Lee started to chuckle, and Mel shook his hand before giving Emily a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You two have done such a wonderful job with helping us plan this day," he told them. "I'll never be able to thank you enough. Despite the fact we didn't exchange vows, tonight almost felt like our wedding. Truly, this is the best. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emily replied, earning another hug.

"See you tomorrow, Mel," Lee promised.

"I get to marry the love of my life," Mel said, grinning hugely. "How lucky is this old fella?"

"Very," Emily said. Mel looked over at Mary talking to her daughter and smiled. The love in his eyes was immense, and Lee couldn't help but feel it in his chest. The older man left to go say goodnight to her, and Lee looked at Emily again.

"Thanks for helping," she said. "We were a good team."

"We were," he agreed.

"See you tomorrow," she said, moving to leave. Lee let her go. He and Lacy had been doing better in the last three weeks. She was trying to spend more time with him, and she had taken over their wedding planning again. All was right in the universe.

Except Barney was hassling him because he'd stupidly told his friend about kissing Emily. Barney was exasperated that Lee had just given up on it. Lee didn't think he'd given up on anything because he wasn't trying anything.

His phone rang, and he saw it was Lacy. She knew he was here with Emily. She'd been in touch with him more throughout the day whenever she knew he was working with Emily. It irritated him a little bit, but he didn't want her to worry, so he went along with it. She was helping him look for a different job too, but nothing was coming up so far.

Lee stopped on his way to the truck when he caught sight of Mel and Mary holding hands in the street lights. They were smiling at each other, and Mel was saying something, which made Mary laugh. Then they were kissing. Lee had a sudden vision of what that would look like for him one day, and surprisingly, the woman in his imagination wasn't Lacy.

He had no idea what that meant.

The Next Day

Emily was rushing around and getting Mary ready for her big day. She regretted not having Jane to help, but Mary's daughter, Audrey, was doing her best, and she was a big help. Audrey was the maid of honor. Mary's son, Sam, was Mel's best man once he walked her down the aisle.

"You look beautiful, Mom," Audrey said now, kissing Mary's cheek. "I'm glad you found Mel again."

"I want you to know that I did love your father," Mary said seriously. "It was a different kind of love, but it was still love."

"I know," Audrey said softly. "I couldn't imagine being separated from Dan and thinking he was dead." They smiled tearily at each other, hugging next. Emily hovered in the background, trying to keep it together. It was almost time. Lee was off picking up Mel. Then the ceremony would start. She felt dread because she knew after this, Lee was gone. She wasn't ready for him to be gone, but he was leaving. She was seriously considering transferring his file to Jane or Andy so she wouldn't have to talk to him again in order to make it easier.

"How do I look?" Mary asked Emily, cutting into her thoughts.

"Like the happiest bride I've ever seen," Emily answered, smiling. It made Mary blush a little, and she looked nervous but happy. Emily was happy for her. She just wished things had worked out for herself too.

...

Lee pulled up to the small house and put his truck in park. He smiled to himself as he pulled out Mel's car keys, knowing how thrilled Melvin was going to be arriving to his wedding in his dream car, the car he'd worked so hard to rebuild. Lee shut off the engine and got out, heading for the door. He adjusted his tie as he walked, lessening it a little so it wasn't choking him. He rang the bell and waited, fiddling with the tie for a few more minutes. When Mel didn't come, Lee frowned. He wasn't bailing on the wedding was he? No. Mel was beyond excited to marry the love of his life.

"Mel?" Lee called, knocking louder. "You ready? Your chariot awaits!" There was still no answer, so Lee tried the door. It was unlocked, and the door swung open easily. He noticed a little banner that said "Welcome home, Mary" on it. The sweetness of this simple gesture hit him hard. It made him want to be more like Mel.

"Mel?" he called again, walking slowly through the house. He watched Mel's life as he walked along the halls past the photos in their frames. It saddened him to see there was a lot of gaps in the timeframe. The last photo was of him and Mary taken recently, beaming and with their arms wrapped around each other. He came to the bedroom and stopped in his tracks. His heart clenched, and his throat tightened. For there was Melvin, lying in bed with his hands folded and a smile on his face, unmoving.

"Mel," Lee said louder. "Come on, buddy, you're getting married today." He knew it was pointless. Mel couldn't hear him. He walked over to the older man and looked down at his seemingly small body that now lacked the robust version of himself.

"Oh, Mel," Lee said sadly. He looked to see Mel's tuxedo laid out and ready to put on next to a photo of Mary from when she was younger. He swallowed around the lump in his throat before reaching to feel for a pulse he knew he wasn't going to find.

Then he pulled out his phone.

...

Mary was fidgeting with her hands as Emily tried calling Lee. No answer.

"Mel's not usually late," Mary noted, sounding worried.

"I'm sure it's just traffic," Emily assured her. She turned away to hide her concerned face. Please, God, let it be traffic, she silently begged. Mary was getting anxious, and Emily didn't know what to tell her. Surely Mel wouldn't stand Mary up now after all of this? It seemed beyond cruel.

The door opened, and Emily looked to see Lee standing there. From the expression on his face, she knew it wasn't going to be good news.

"Oh, Lee," Mary said, sounding relieved. "There you are. Is Mel alright? He's a touch late. Not pre-wedding jitters I hope." She chuckled. "We're a bit old for that I think."

Emily silently begged Lee not to open his mouth and deliver the news she knew was coming. His eyes flicked to Emily briefly before he looked back at Mary. He cleared his throat.

"Mary," he said softly. Mary caught his tone, and her face fell. Her lip began to tremble. Then she reached to grab ahold of Emily's hand and held on very tightly. Emily couldn't breathe suddenly.

"What is it, dear?" Mary asked bravely.

"I'm so sorry, Mary," Lee said. Emily barely heard him as he explained what had happened to Mel. She felt dizzy. She felt sick. Then Mary collapsed, and Emily tried to catch her before she hit the floor and failed. Lee was there in an instant, kneeling on the floor next to Mary and wrapping her into his arms. Mary wailed and howled against him, and Emily felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She stumbled out of the room, away from the pain. She passed Nigel in the hallway, and she knew he knew from his face.

"Em," he tried, reaching for her. She pulled away and started to run. Of all the love stories in the world, this one was supposed to work out. This one was supposed to happen. She could barely see through her tears as she ran, not even caring where she ran to. She found herself by the pond, and she collapsed to her knees on the ground, burying her face into her hands.

Then she screamed.

...

Lee found her once he had gotten Mary into safe hands. Audrey was barely able to function, but she was there for her mother. Sam was unable to speak from emotion and was trying to help Nigel with taking care of everything, so he decided to look for Emily.

He walked across the snow carefully, approaching her from the left. She was hugging her knees and staring out at the water. Her cheeks were ravaged by tears. Her right hand was gripping her hair. Her skin was getting purple from the cold.

"Em," he said gently. She turned her head slightly to look at him. "Come on, let's get you home." Wordlessly, she stared at him. He reached out his hand, and after a moment of staring at it, she took it and let him pull her to her feet. He put his jacket over her shoulders before he slid an arm around her and he guided her to his truck.

She stared out the window for the entire drive, still not saying a word. Her teeth banged from the cold for a while until she started to warm up from the heaters and his jacket. Lee wished he could help her, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do right now. Once parked, he helped her out and up to her apartment. She opened the door and stumbled inside, so he went in after her. He watched as she stood still, looking around at everything.

"What's the point?" she asked, her voice hoarse. She looked at him finally. "What's the f***ing point?" She was trying to hold it in, but she was failing. More tears fell, and Lee felt a few of his own prick at his eyes as he thought about how careful Mel had set out his suit, the smile on his face. Mary's wails.

"I don't know," he answered, his own voice tight and cracked. Emily was gasping between her sobs now, and he did the only thing he could think of to help her. He pulled her to him and simply held her.

And she let him.

...

Lacy paced. Where was Lee? The wedding was supposed to end hours ago. He still wasn't home. Her heart constricted. Was he with Emily? Suddenly, she pictured him kissing Emily and doing other things with her. It drove her slightly mad. She'd made sure to come home early as often as she could despite missing out on opportunities, and she'd made efforts to do things with him. Why would he do this to her?

She was angry now. If he was going to screw around, then she could too. She pulled out her phone and called someone she was so sure she was finished with.

"Yea?" he answered.

"I need you," she said.

"Come on over, babe," Hutch replied. "I'll be waiting."