Songs I listened to while writing this chapter: Just Missed Her by Siddhartha Khosla for the first half of the chapter (36 hours before the wedding to 19 hours before the wedding inclusive), Message Received by Siddhartha Khosla for the scenes 16 hours before the wedding and 15 hours before the wedding, and The Car Theme by Siddhartha Khosla for the last half of the chapter (12 hours before wedding onward).

A Week Later

36 Hours Before the Wedding

Jane had this niggling feeling inside of her, and it refused to leave her alone. She'd spent enough time listening to Emily talk about David, but she knew that David was not right for Emily. A certain gruff, surprisingly gentle, handsome Brit was, and Jane had no idea how to get Emily to see it. She had 36 hours, no 35 hours and 58 minutes, to stop this wedding and make Emily see she was meant to be with Lee. She knew that in the last week, anything she'd said about Lee had gone in one ear and out the other, but that didn't mean she couldn't stop trying.

"Honey, you gotta stop overthinking," Kevin said from his pillow next to her. "Smoke is coming out of your ears."

"I'm sorry. I just can't sit here and let something so...so stupid take place," Jane said strongly. Kevin reached to rub his hand over her pregnant belly under hers.

"I know, but the stress is not good for our baby."

"Right," Jane said, looking down at her growing baby bump. "I know that. I'm sorry."

"How can I help?" Kevin asked. Jane was thoughtful. She hadn't had much luck coming up with a plan on her own, so maybe it was time to bring him into it.

"Can you look into David Jones?" she asked.

"The CIA guy?"

"Yea. I have this weird feeling something is wrong with this story."

"Wasn't it confirmed by a source already?" Kevin asked.

"I don't care. I don't trust it."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. I might have a friend who's into that world. He might know."

"Thanks, Kevin," Jane said, giving him a tired smile. He moved up to kiss her gently before reaching to turn off the lamp. She did her best to get comfortable and fall asleep. It wasn't over yet. There was still hope.

23 Hours Before the Wedding

Lee was packing up the apartment. He had no desire to stay there any longer since there was nothing here for him. He didn't have a lot of things to pack, so he spent more time cleaning the place up. He had no idea where he was going to go. He was pretty sure Barney would still be pissed at him, so he wasn't going to return to New Orleans. He figured now was as good a time as any to start somewhere fresh. Hell, maybe he'd give himself a new name while he was at it.

He went to answer when someone knocked on his door. He was surprised to see Nigel standing there with Soapy in his arms.

"Hey," Lee said. "What brings you by?"

"Well, I figured since Lacy is gone, you might want your cat back," Nigel answered. "She looks for you a lot and has been a bit depressed since you've been gone." Indeed, the cat was struggling to get to Lee once she laid eyes on him. She jumped out of Nigel's arms and immediately went to wind around Lee's legs, meowing up at him. He bent to pick her up, and she instantly started purring and licked his fingers.

"Yea, I'll take her back," Lee agreed, enjoying the ball of warmth in his arms. Some company was better than none.

"You leaving?" Nigel asked, noticing the boxes.

"Yea. There's nothing left for me here."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nigel said sympathetically. It was unspoken between them, but they both knew what Lee was referring to.

"It was great getting to know you," Lee said. "And thanks again for giving me work."

"My pleasure, Lee. I'm just sorry that things didn't work out."

"It's for the best," Lee said with a shrug.

"If it makes you feel any better," Nigel started, "I think Emily is making a mistake."

"She doesn't seem to think so."

"Did you?"

"Deep down I did. I just kept denying it."

"Then perhaps that's what she is doing too," Nigel suggested. "It's like she's convinced herself she has to marry David because he came back to her from the dead. I think she's using it to block whatever feelings she has for you."

"Maybe so, but she's made it very clear to me she's moved on."

Nigel looked sorry for him, and he cleared his throat and exhaled roughly.

"Well," he said. "I'm sorry to see you go, but I understand."

"Thanks."

They shook hands, and Nigel gave him one last smile before leaving. Lee was left with Soapy, who was still purring happily. He went to sit on the couch and buried his face in her fur. A hot, single tear trailed down his cheek, and he didn't wipe it away. There was nothing he could do but move on.

And move on he would.

19 Hours Before the Wedding

Emily was surprised to see her sister standing in the hallway when she opened her door. Erica didn't look angry. She just looked tired. Emily wasn't sure what to say to her since they hadn't spoken since Christmas. She knew her sister had been trying to call her, but she'd never called her back. Apparently, it was important enough to show up at her apartment. Her sister surprised her even more by moving in to hug her tightly.

"Erica?" Emily asked, feeling shocked. They didn't do this sort of thing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged Erica.

"I've been an absolute arse, and I'm sorry," Erica said, still hugging her tightly. Hearing an apology from her sister was incredible. Emily didn't even know what to do with it. She'd waited so long for one that she wondered if it was a figment of her imagination. It couldn't be, though, since her sister hugging her was very real. Suddenly, she burst into tears from all the emotions that were just sitting on the surface. Erica soon did too. They hugged and cried and then laughed.

"I'm so sorry for everything I said. I didn't mean it," Erica said, wiping at her eyes once they broke apart.

"I'm sorry for slapping you with a rag," Emily said.

"I deserved it," Erica replied. "I was a beast. I always have been terrible to you. It's just that I feel so inferior to you, so I try to knock you down to feel better. It's immature and cowardly and rotten of me, and I hope you can forgive me." Emily looked at her sister and knew she meant it. Erica didn't do apologies. She also never wore a remorseful expression on her face. She almost asked if someone had taken over Erica's body.

"I do." She meant it. She always did forgive easily (ask Lee; she just didn't want him in her life so he could hurt her further). She'd only ever wanted a sister, and she knew she'd be cautious moving forward, but she was willing to give her sister a chance.

Erica wiped at her tears again, as did Emily. She invited her sister inside next. It felt strange to see her and not have a low blow thrown at her, but Erica seemed genuine with this apology, and no chastising comments or put downs had been uttered in the five minutes that she'd been there. Emily wondered if their mother had finally realized Erica had been rotten and told her so.

"I was in a car accident," Erica said softly, making Emily stare at her.

"What?"

"Yea. I was incredibly lucky, but afterwards all I kept thinking about was what kind of person I was and what my legacy would be if I did die, and then I realized how terrible I'd been to you among others...I had to make it right. I've started therapy, and we're working on my issues. It's been really helpful."

"That's...good?" Emily said, unsure.

"It is. Look, you're my sister. I shouldn't be treating you like the enemy. You should be my best friend. I'm starting over, and I hope I can prove to you that I mean it."

"Well, one step at a time," Emily said with a slight chuckle.

"I know," Erica said with a nod. "I'd be leery of me too if I were you."

"Consider yourself on probation," Emily said, making her sister laugh out loud.

"Okay, deal."

Emily took her sister's hand and squeezed it tightly before getting up to get them a drink. Then it hit her.

"Why didn't Mum tell me?"

"I asked her not to. I wanted to talk to you first. You just wouldn't answer my calls."

"Sorry. I wasn't up for another fight."

"I know. I wish I could take it all back."

"You can't, but, like you said, you can start fresh." Emily looked at her sister, who was still nodding and looking a little bit emotional. Her sister didn't usually cry either, and she'd done a lot of that here so far. It was very bizarre.

"You're finally marrying David," Erica noted, sitting at the table while Emily poured her some water and passed it to her.

"I am."

"I still can't believe he's not dead."

"I know. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it's not a dream," Emily said. She sat down and folded her hands on the table. For a brief moment, she imagined herself kissing Lee again. It kept happening after he'd done it outside the restaurant. She wished it would stop.

"I'm a little sad you're not having the big wedding you wanted," Erica noted.

"We just want to get married. We don't need a big wedding. Close family is enough."

"You're still doing it at a church, though, right?"

"Of course. Just only a few guests."

"Good. If you were going to a courthouse I might have to say something," Erica joked, making Emily smile.

"You'll stand up there with me, right?" she asked.

"You really want me to? After...after everything?"

"Yes," Emily answered firmly. "You're my sister. I want you up there. And what better way to test out your probation than have you running around for a crazed bride?"

"Okay," Erica said with a smile and a laugh. "Then I'll be there. And you're not crazy." Emily reached to squeeze her sister's hand again. They'd made amends finally. It made her feel better inside. Despite her sister aggravating her for so many years, it felt good to see this side of her and realize Erica could be sorry and try to make things right. She never wanted to hate her sister to begin with.

"Whatever happened to Lee?" Erica asked next, curious. "He seemed really into you."

"You were right. It was fake," Emily explained. "He was marrying someone else."

"Oh. He's not anymore?"

"No."

"Really? Hmm," Erica said, stroking her chin. "Think he'd go out with me?" Emily raised a brow, making Erica laugh. "I'm kidding, Em. I'm also really sorry for making a pass at him. That goes back to my insecurity issues, according to my therapist."

"Where did you get insecurity issues?" Emily asked, curious. "You always seemed so confident."

"Pfft, being perfect for Mum is really hard," Erica said with a sigh. "Not to mention keeping perfect grades. Kids picked on me a lot for being the teacher's pet. I might look confident, but inside I'm a wreck."

"I had no idea."

"Well, now you do," she said with a small smile. "It's no excuse for what I did, but it helps me understand why I did it. I won't be doing it again. I'm trying other things to help build my confidence."

"Good, because that really hurt me," Emily told her.

"I know it did. I know everything I did and said hurt you. If I could take it all back I would."

Emily nodded slowly. It didn't erase everything, but it was a start towards forgiveness and moving forward.

"So, where did Lee end up after David came back?" Erica asked.

"I think he's left," Emily said truthfully.

"Oh, that's too bad."

"I guess." Emily looked at her sister and could tell Erica wanted to press further about if she was marrying the right person, so she cleared her throat and smiled, trying to show she was done talking about Lee. Erica got the hint.

"Alright, so what kind of dress am I wearing?" Erica asked.

"Right! You need a dress," Emily said, realizing. "Come on, then." She got up with Erica in tow, and they went out to see what they could find at a last minute's notice.

16 Hours Before the Wedding

Jane and Andy were feeling panicked. Kevin wasn't calling with any information about David, and the clock was ticking. Nigel was oblivious to what was going on. They hadn't bothered to tell him because they knew he'd just scold them and make them stop.

"I feel sick," Andy said, gripping her hair in her hand.

"Maybe I should just slap her as hard as I can," Jane mused. "You think that would wake her up?"

"I think you'd end up in the hospital," Andy replied truthfully. Jane sighed.

"Then I'm out of ideas."

"Jane?" Emily called, making both of them jump. They went to meet her in the hallway.

"Hey," Jane said, smiling at her. "What's up? Oh, hi Erica." She was surprised to see Emily's sister, but there didn't appear to be any animosity between them currently. In fact, Erica and Emily seemed happy.

"We were just wondering if you might have something for my sister to wear for the wedding," Emily said. "We didn't get much luck in the stores."

"I might have something," Jane agreed, going to her office.

"You keep your dresses here?" Erica asked, confused, as she followed. Emily and Andy came in last.

"You never know what you're going to need for a wedding," Jane said with a shrug. She pulled open her closet door and shifted some dresses around. Erica was roughly the same size as Jane (pre-baby bump), so something in there could work. She pulled out a deep blue satin dress that was thin strapped and had a the right side pulled into a twist.

"Oh," Erica said, awed. "I love that."

"Good?" Jane asked Emily, who nodded.

"It's perfect," Emily answered.

"Thank you so much," Erica said, taking it from Jane carefully. Emily looked at the clock and gave a start.

"We have to get to rehearsal," she said. "You two are coming, right?"

"Of course," Andy answered, nodding.

"Great," Emily said with a smile. Jane sensed a bit of nervousness, though. She knew everyone got nervous around their wedding, but could it be there was more to it in Emily's case?

"Didn't you used to have a cat?" Erica asked, looking around for Soapy.

"Oh, Lee took her back," Jane answered casually. Emily's head snapped up at this.

"He did?" she asked.

"Yea. Nigel took her to his place. He said Lee was packed and ready to leave the place."

"Oh."

Even Erica looked at Emily at the sound of her tone. Emily flushed slightly from the attention and cleared her throat.

"Thanks, Jane," she said, gesturing to the dress. "We'll see you later."

"Of course."

Jane watched them leave. Erica was still giving Emily curious looks but not saying anything. Andy gave a slight chuckle once they were gone.

"Nice try," she said.

"I just want her to think about him," Jane replied. She knew it was a long shot, but she hoped that if Emily was stuck thinking about Lee, then she should rethink getting married.

15 Hours Before the Wedding

Lee answered his apartment door with a racing heart. For a moment, he thought that maybe, just maybe, Emily had changed her mind.

He found Jane instead.

"What?" he asked, exasperated.

"You can't give up," she insisted, barging in without being invited. Her pregnant belly was more obvious these days. Lee felt lucky to be a man in that moment.

"Jane, it's over," he sighed. She held up her hand, giving him a stern look.

"It's not. Go talk to her. You should have seen her face when I told her you were leaving."

"You told her?"

"Of course."

He refrained from rolling his eyes. Jane the Meddler. He wasn't going to miss that.

"So what do you want me to do? Go over to her place and ask her to run away with me?"

"Yes," Jane said immediately. "She needs to know that you're not giving up."

"She told me to leave her alone."

"She doesn't mean it," Jane said firmly. "She loves you, Lee. I can see it there still. I don't care what she says. Her heart says otherwise."

He sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his head. As much as he didn't want to get hurt again, he knew he wanted to do this. He needed to try one last time.

"Will you drop it if she says no?" he asked. He couldn't believe he was going along with this. He must be crazy. Jane met his eyes then.

"You have my word."

...

"I hate to say good night," Emily said to David as they stood by the exit of the church. The rehearsal had gone well. Jane had shown up a little late, but she apologized and said she'd lost her keys. Emily didn't quite believe her. The whole night she kept waiting for Lee to show up. When he didn't, she tried not to notice she felt more disappointed than relieved.

"I know," David said, kissing her gently. "But just think: we start our life together tomorrow."

"We do," she agreed, smiling. He touched her face.

"You're not having second thoughts?" he asked.

"No."

"I'd understand if you did. I kind of came back out of nowhere."

"I've been waiting for you all this time," she reasoned. "Some part of me deep down held onto the fact that I'd see you again, no matter how crazy it seemed."

"I'm glad you didn't give up on me."

"Just don't leave me again," she whispered, and he bowed his head slightly.

"I promise," he said firmly. He kissed her again, and she felt relieved that she finally wasn't thinking about Lee. She really was moving on.

12 Hours Before the Wedding

Emily sat on her balcony nursing a glass of wine. The ceremony rehearsal had gone well. It was kept short and simple. They didn't do a rehearsal dinner as they were small enough of a group to just attend a restaurant. Emily didn't want anything fancy. Jane had a friend who offered to give her his restaurant for two hours all to herself, and she'd taken it. David had arranged the honeymoon, which was something she was looking forward to the most. She was finally going to Paris.

She smiled when she heard knocking on her door. David had promised to stay away so as to keep the old tradition of not seeing the bride until she was walking down the aisle. Apparently he couldn't do it.

"I knew you couldn't stay away," she said, opening the door. Her smile faltered and her heart jumped when she saw it was not David standing there.

"Did you?" Lee asked, his tone slightly teasing.

"Lee," she said. "I...I thought you'd left."

"Not yet," he replied. "May I come in?"

Emily was extremely hesitant. She had been struggling with thoughts about him and was finally not having as many, but having him there in the flesh was dangerous. She didn't want to talk to him in the hallway where everyone could see him, though, so she had no choice but to let him in.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, arms crossed after shutting the door. "I thought we'd already said our goodbyes."

"I just wanted to see you again before I left," he answered.

"I haven't changed my mind..."

"I know," he stopped her. "I just...I wanted to say again how sorry I am. I've been broken and confused for so long since Billy died, and marrying Lacy was my way of running from that pain. I got so buried in it that I lost the part of me that's logical. I hurt you in the process, and I'll forever by sorry for that."

"I already forgave you..."

"I know," he said again, stopping her again. "I just wanted to say it again."

"Okay."

They stood there looking at each other, and Emily wasn't sure what else to say. Lee seemed to be in the same position. He stood with his hands in his leather jacket pockets, a sad smile on his face.

"I'm going to be honest and say that I also came here to ask you to run away with me," he admitted.

"What?" Emily asked, taken back. Without her permission, her mind instantly thought about what that would be like. She gave herself a shake.

"I know. It's a long shot, but I wanted to at least try," he said. "Because I think you love me but are too afraid to hurt David and stop the wedding."

"Lee..."

"I think you've had feelings for me for a while, just like I did for you, and I blew it by being an asshole," Lee went on. "I know I can't take back what I did, but I can make up for it to the best of my ability."

"I can't," Emily said, feeling emotional suddenly. "I can't do this with you..." He moved to take her hands in his, and she didn't fight him.

"Do you love me?" he asked her. "Em, please be honest."

"I...I..." she trailed off, feeling so confused. He pressed a hand to her face, smoothing his thumb across her cheek and making her look at him. She made a noise in her throat as she tried to figure out what to say next.

"I think I'm in love with you," Lee said quietly. "No, I know I'm in love with you. I've just been denying it all this time. I started falling in love with you since the day you told me I was an animal."

"Lee," she whispered, her voice pained.

"No one has made me feel okay or at home the way you do," he continued. "No one."

"I can't do this," she said again.

"Can't be honest with me?" he asked, searching her eyes. "Why not?"

"I can't do this to David," she said a bit louder.

"Why not? He had no problem abandoning you, on your wedding day no less. You think he won't abandon you again? How do you know that?" Lee challenged.

"And you won't?" she countered. She'd allowed him to pull her closer into him. They were both breathing hard, their faces close to one another.

"No, I won't," he promised. "I'm not going back to be a mercenary. I'm done with that life. I'm moving forward to God knows where, but I want you to come with me."

"I can't. My life is here. My job, my family, my friends...David...are here," she said strongly.

"Do you love him with all of your heart?" Lee asked, tracing her face lightly with his fingers. "Do you? Can you honestly say that?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Emily cried. "Are you trying to torture me?"

"I'm not," Lee argued. "I'm asking you a simple question, one that you can't seem to answer, I should add."

"Yes," she said finally.

"Yes, what?"

"I love David." As soon as she said it, she knew it wasn't entirely true. There was a very small part of her that loved Lee too. She just didn't trust him enough to run away with him, and she wasn't about to break David's heart like that. She knew how that felt.

"Alright," Lee said quietly, releasing her and stepping away. "That's all I wanted to know. I won't interfere, and I won't tell you it's a mistake."

"You just did," she pointed out.

"I love you, Emily Charlton," he said, ignoring the comment. "I'm not going to stop just cos you're marrying someone else."

"Lee..."

"I know at one point, you loved me too," he went on. "Maybe a small part of you still does, but I can't make you choose me. I know that."

"You're making this harder than it needs to be," Emily said, crying now. There was emotion on his face too.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice thick. "I'll go."

"I wouldn't have done this to you," she said as he opened the door.

"Done what?"

"Come to you on your wedding night with the intent of making you change your mind."

"I guess we'll never find out, will we?" He looked like he was aching at the sight of tears sliding down her face.

"I wouldn't have," she whispered. "Because that's just cruel."

"I just want to make sure you're happy and making the right decision," he insisted. "And I know you would have done it to me too. Say what you want, but you would have because you care about me, just like I care about you."

She didn't say anything, so he turned to leave. She didn't stop him. She started to cry harder after he pulled the door shut behind him with a click.

Because she knew he was right. She would have done the same damn thing.

Two Hours Before the Wedding

Lee put the last box in his truck and shut the tailgate. He got into the driver's side and pulled the door shut, turning to look at Soapy sitting erect on the passenger seat.

"You ready?" he asked her. She chirped in response, and he smiled. He'd had one hell of a night, and his emotions were still a wreck, but he needed to get the hell out of there. He put his truck on the road, and he started off. There was no looking back. The further away he got, the more he felt a pain in his chest.

But no matter how much he wanted to, he did not turn his truck around.

One Hour Before the Wedding

Emily was exhausted. She'd cried all night until there was nothing left. She'd mourned Lee, and now it was time to move on. Erica was helping her with her hair, putting it in a French braid and winding a red rose into it.

"You okay?" she asked, looking at Emily in the large mirror.

"I'm fine."

"It's okay to change your mind," Erica said softly, making Emily look at her sharply.

"I'm not going to."

"Alright."

Emily felt her sister's fingers finish doing her hair, and she started to do her makeup next. Andy arrived dressed and a bit disheveled. Emily raised a brow at her, and she blushed.

"Sorry. My date, uh, stayed over last night."

"Ooooh do tell," Erica said.

"Just the IT guy from before," Andy said. "Kyle. No big deal. I mean, it might be. We might be boyfriend and girlfriend? We haven't talked about it." Emily tuned out Erica's response. She kept thinking about Lee's face last night, the hope in his eyes that she'd say yes and run away with him.

Her parents came in next, gushing over her and hugging her. Emily tried to feel happy. She tried to feel something, anything, other than the sadness inside.

"See you out there," her father said in her ear, kissing her cheek. Emily smiled and nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. Jane arrived looking pristine and ready to go.

"Kevin's going to take the photos," she said.

"Okay."

"You doing alright?" Jane asked her.

"I'm fine."

"Okay. Well, we're just about ready to go."

Emily nodded, breathing shakily. She was getting married today. She pictured David, his smile and his laugh. He was a good guy. She was making the right choice.

The Wedding

Emily's heart was pounding as her father gave her hand to David. This was happening. She was getting married. David was looking at her with adoration, and she was trying not to picture Lee standing there instead. She barely heard the minister talking as David held her hands tightly, and then suddenly the minister was asking if anyone wanted to object to the wedding. She held her breath, and no one said anything. She released it slowly, feeling some tension leave. She also noticed the disappointment that no one had said anything. She'd almost thought for sure he would have tried one last time.

"Okay," the minister said with a smile. "David, you can sta-..."

The doors blowing open behind them made them all jump, and Emily whipped her head to see someone she hadn't expected to see again but had hoped to.

Lee Hendricks.

His eyes met hers, and she didn't know what to feel. Just seeing him was making her feel speechless.

"Hold on just a damn minute," he said loudly. "I object."