2nd March, 2027

InterContinental Hotel San Francisco

San Francisco, CA. America

Today's the day. The day I see my big sister finally get her own happily ever after. I'm so excited! Most of my family was able to come again. If you're wondering how a same sex marriage works (much like I was at first), it's really quite similar to how mine went. Monika even let Ela reveal that was pregnant at the rehearsal dinner. That was were Ela told the lie about the sex of our child…well I mean she didn't technically lie. But we did lie about there being only one. Plus I fucking HATE those stupid ass gender reveal parties I see online sometimes looking for funny images to send people. Revealing it our way is much better.

"Yes, we just found out," Ela had said and turned toward an excited Monika. "It's a boy." People cheered politely but I managed to catch Derrick and Tina's eye and flash a wink at both of them. Zoey, who had been sitting in her high chair with her father's curious expression, also cheered. For a one year old baby, she was very well behaved whenever I saw her. Derrick told me about an incident a few weeks ago where Zoey had been particularly difficult to deal with. Apparently, when Derrick walked in the door, he had been confronted with an angry Tina and wailing Zoey. Tina had shoved Zoey into Derrick's arms and retreated to her own "lair" of the house. She had come out hours later to see Zoey and Derrick sleeping on the couch. Derrick later found himself waking up with his head on Tina's lap as she watched TV and Zoey upstairs in her crib. Although most of the time I've been told that Zoey is always happy and curious about everything. Must get that from both of her parents.

"Bah!" Zoey said happily and turned toward Derrick. Derrick ruffled her hair and she giggled.

"Mama?" she then said and lifted her arms up. Tina lifted Zoey out of her high chair and gave her a motherly hug. Ela was looking over in her direction as if looking for tips.

"Congrats Luke," my older brother, Richter, told me and thumped me on the shoulder. "Heard about your small spat with Ela about Heidi. Your wife's very territorial huh?" Ela happened to be talking with Heidi at that very moment. Both women looked happy.

"Not as much as Derrick's," Julia responded. She must remember Tina's death glare from my wedding. Julia hadn't intended that comment about Derrick's attractiveness to be serious. Protip, never try to take something from Tina Lin Tseng Castellano. You won't win. Trust me. Anyway, that was all the highlights from the rehearsal dinner, now was the big day. Currently, I was standing outside Monika's dressing room. She had of course been getting ready since like 6am according to Ela. She, Zofia, Julia and Richter made up Monika's bride's party with me being the best man. Meghan's was Tina, her cousin Julie, Yumiko and Elena I believe. Derrick was Meghan's best man as you know and I could see him standing with Zoey who was in a little dress with her hair all braided. The door to Monika's dressing room opened and Ela, Zofia and Julia stepped out.

"Zoey, can you come here? Monika wants to see you," Ela said to Zoey. She fit in her bridesmaid dress perfectly. Did you hear that? Perfect. Lee. Zoey looked over at the sound of her name (she knew when someone said it too) before turning back to Derrick.

"Go Snowflake, you'll see daddy when you're done ok?" Derrick said and motioned Zoey forward. Zoey slowly made her way into the room. I smiled when I heard her say "Monka!" before the door closed.

"How does she look?" I asked. I wanted seeing my sister in a wedding dress to be a surprise hence why I waited outside her dressing room….and you know, I don't want to see my sister naked. Soon enough, the rest of Meghan's bridal party arrived. Tina started to panic as she didn't immediately see Zoey but Derrick motioned to the door and I saw his mouth move. I nodded at Tina quickly and she relaxed. Julia sniffed before she answered me.

"Absolutely radiant," she said. Zofia nodded.

"Never seen her glow that much in the few years I've known her. She and Meghan will be so happy together," Zofia said. Richter arrived looking a little disheveled. He also looked out of breath and was combing his hair with a pocket comb.

"Sorry, so sorry," he said. "Damn rental car. I freaking hate American cars."

"Where's the family Ric?" Julia asked, looking around for his wife and kids.

"Sitting down," he responded. "How does Monika look?"

"Radiant. Or so I've been told," I answered. Derrick looked at his watch and then motioned for us to walk toward the place where I would watch Monika become a married woman.

The wedding procession played out almost the same as mine. Derrick and I walked down the aisle first followed by the 2 brides parties one person at a time. Before either of the brides entered the room, little Zoey came walking in holding a small basket of flowers. Most of the women in attendance went "Awww!" including the women behind me. One glance at Tina showed she was on the verge of sobbing. Zoey looked around for some sort of comfort. She didn't really like big loud noises. Her eyes landed on Sanaa (who she knew as her mommy's best girl friend) and I could hear her saying "Zoey, who's that? Right there? There's Daddy! Do you see Daddy?" and was pointing at Derrick. Derrick was waving at Zoey. Zoey turned her head to face him and I saw her go from scared to ecstatic. She bolted towards Derrick and shouted "Dada!" Derrick lifted Zoey into his arms as soon as she got within his reach and she giggled happily.

"Wanna stand with me or with Mama? Or Layna? Do you see Layna?" Derrick said and I felt a violent flashback. Before I could stop myself I was scanning the room for any threats. What didn't really help was that Zoey had opted to stand with Tina and Elena too. No…No…there was no way it was going to happen for real. Eliza was one of the ushers. She knew about threats before any of us did and right now, she was struggling not to cry after watching Zoey run to her father. I did feel Ela's hand on my shoulder though.

"It's alright, I know what you're experiencing. Eliza and Jordan have eyes everywhere because of that note you found in January. Relax," she whispered. Music suddenly swelled. It sounded like an acoustic version of "Dressed to Kill" by New Found Glory. I was confused for a grand total of 5 seconds before I realized why it was playing. I saw an unfamiliar woman standing in between Derrick's parents. Wait…no, I knew who that woman was. It was Meghan…but she didn't look like the Meghan Castellano I knew. First off, she was wearing a wedding dress. More of a simple one as opposed to the ones I saw Tina, Julia and Ela wear. Both of her tattoo sleeves were on display as it was a sleeveless dress. She had her hair down too. It was longer than Monika's and it was tied into a simple ponytail. Derrick inhaled sharply when he too must have realized that Meghan was in the room. I glanced at him and he looked like he was about to lose it. Reminded me of when he broke down upon seeing Tina at his own wedding. That had reassured me that Derrick and Tina would be together for a very very long time. Zoey had shouted "Auntie a pincess Mama!" over the music. A few people laughed, including Meghan and Joe. I then heard Tina say "Shh, sweetheart. You have to be quiet ok?" in a soft voice to her daughter. Meghan eventually got the front with her parents and gave them both a hug and a kiss before joining Derrick. Zoey waved at Meghan and Meghan waved back. Zoey smiled and then grabbed onto Tina's hand again. Music swelled again and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. There she was. My big sister. Clad in a wedding dress standing between our parents. Julia was right, she was radiant. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was glowing. Monika only had eyes for Meghan who I saw was using Derrick as support.

"Oh my…oh my God…" Meghan was saying. I couldn't help but agree. I have never seen Monika this happy or beautiful before.

"Now you know what was going through my head, Megs," Derrick said to Meghan. Zoey had spotted Monika and pointed at her.

"Monka!" she said in a soft voice. Tina smiled down at her as did Craig who was acting as the…minister? I mean he's not a priest. He did that thing where you can legally marry people out of the goodness of his heart. Craig looked scary with his big beard and sunglasses but in reality, he was a very nice guy and also a big family man. I also happen to be taller than him but that's just me bragging. Craig was one of Meghan's instructors during her Navy SEAL training. Now the thing is, I knew that the US Navy SEALS were made up of men for most of if not all of its active service. I guess Meghan was one of the first women to volunteer for the training. She doesn't talk about it much but I have heard from Derrick that the training she went through was intense and grueling. It's a testament to Meghan's ability that she was able to complete it with relatively no issues. She also met Ela around that time too…and tried to set her up with Derrick because she was a bit drunk after the mission. Anyway, Monika and our parents had made their way down the aisle and were now standing in front of me. Monika looked over at Zoey, waved and said "Good job Zoey!"

"Who presents this woman to be wed?" Craig asked my parents.

"Her mother and I do," my dad answered and then beckoned Meghan forward. Meghan didn't move at first but did so after Derrick gave her a slight shove. Monika hugged and kissed both of our parents before she took Meghan's hand. Over the pair of them I watched Zoey hug Tina's leg and yawn. Craig then began talking about both Meghan and Monika and the joy of being married or something. I wasn't really paying attention. I was scanning the area again for any sort of threat like the one from my dream about this event. I didn't have a firearm on me but I did have my knife. It was strapped at my waist, just out of sight and covered by my jacket. I continued to do this as Meghan and Monika read their vows to each other. I didn't catch much of Meghan's because of my paranoia but I had heard "you found my brother and returned him to me. He is one of my best friends and the woman that I love brought him back from the dead." Derrick had caught on to what I was doing and glanced over to Eliza and signaled I should do the same. I did so and Eliza gave me an "all clear" sign.

"Lukas?" Craig's voice said, startling me a little.

"Hmm?" I said and saw Monika looking at me with a worried look. "Oh! Sorry, yes. I have them." I started rummaging in my pockets for Monika's written vows. I eventually remembered what pocket I had put the piece of paper in and pulled it out. Unfortunately, I wasn't fully able to hide the fact that I was armed with a knife. Good news, I think Derrick and Tina were the only ones that noticed. Neither of them made any noticeable movements but I did see Tina clutch Zoey tighter to her leg and her eyes darted around the area as well. Derrick must have told her about the phone call in December. I handed the piece of paper to Monika and she started to read her vows to Meghan. I wanted to listen to this but unfortunately, Derrick and Tina weren't the only ones who saw that I had my knife on me. I felt a small but extremely strong hand grasp my shoulder again. I chanced a glance behind me as Monika was starting to struggle to read her vows. Ela's face said it all. "What the hell are you doing with a knife at your sister's wedding?!" I wrenched my shoulder from her grasp and gave her a "I'll explain later gesture" I turned my attention back towards Monika who had finally managed to regain her composure and spoke to Meghan.

"Meghan, I never thought you were going to return my feelings either. Since 2017, when you joined our task force, I've always admired your skill and determination. Then I found out that you had harbored feelings for me ever since meeting me and I couldn't have been happier. I know I revealed my feelings when we thought we had lost your brother and I do apologize for that. I should have waited until Lukas and I found him. But seeing your love for your brother as well as the rest of your family made me realize that I wanted to be more than just your friend and colleague. I understand I can't promise I'll be here for the rest of your life, but I swear I will love you for the rest of mine," she said, while stifling sniffs and sobs throughout reading it.

"Monka sad?" Zoey's little voice said amidst the following silence which got a lot of people to chuckle. Monika especially.

"And I promise to love that little girl standing behind you as much as you do Meghan," Monika added. Eventually, rings were exchanged and Meghan and Monika shared their first kiss as a married couple. As I cheered along with everyone else present, I saw movement. This time I was certain of it. There was a figure hiding amongst the crowd of people and trees outside. It was wearing a gray jacket and cracked gray mask. The figure was most likely male but I couldn't really tell. They were looking right at me and I could almost guarantee they were laughing.

2nd March, 2027

InterContinental Hotel San Francisco (Ballroom)

San Francisco, CA. America

I needed to talk to Derrick or Eliza or somebody about what I had just seen but as soon as we all got to the ballroom for the reception, I was confronted by Ela. And she was still angry.

"Are you going to tell me why you have a knife?!" she demanded. "Do not fucking lie to me either I swear to God." I didn't answer fast enough apparently because Ela then grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip as I turned away trying to think of a good answer.

"Answer. Me." she growled.

"Just in case," I responded lamely.

"Just in case? Just in case?! For what?! Pumpkin carving?!" Ela snapped back. Didn't matter. Wasn't listening. I saw the bastard again. Closer to the window this time…and he was armed.

"Contact!" I shouted at Derrick who I had finally located. Derrick snapped into action at once. He handed Zoey off to Tina and ran over to join me right as I burst outside and made a beeline at the intruder.

"What the- HEY! ON THE GROUND ASSHOLE! NOW!" Derrick shouted when he saw the guy with the shotgun and was aiming it at the window. The armed guy was far enough away to not be immediately noticed by the wedding guests as he was obscured by some trees but was still in the effective range of that weapon. I drew my knife as we ran at the guy but tossed it to Derrick because he was a better knife thrower than I was. He took aim and hurled the knife at the intruder. The blade sailed through the air and hit the intruder right in the shoulder which caused him to drop the gun. I rugby tackled him immediately which caused the guy to yell in more pain. I turned him over onto his back and pinned his arms together. Derrick wrenched my knife from the guy's shoulder and handed it to me after I had got the guy into a kneeling position.

"Talk," Derrick growled. "Who the fuck are you?"

"The fucking Time Warp guys?! Are you kidding me?! They're Special Forces?" the guy responded, struggling feebly against my strong grip.

"Wrong answer," I responded and Derrick punched the spot where the knife pierced skin. The guy yelled in pain again.

"I will not ask again," Derrick snarled. Damn, Derrick could be scary whenever he wanted to.

"F-fine…Fine," the guy stammered. "I am one of the Fallen. You wronged us in the past Rainbow." I lost my grip a little as the guy struggled and he managed to break free. The guy pulled a pistol out of his shoulder holster and aimed it back at the window. Right at Tina and Ela.

"NO!" I shouted, grabbed the guy's arm and broke it in two with a sickening crunch. The guy yelled in pain once more before I lifted him into the air by his neck.

"WHO SENT YOU!" I shouted. The guy laughed…a real marvel as his bone was exposed and his arm was bleeding profusely.

"One of many. You can not stop all of us. We will have our revenge. Although we are Fallen, we will rise up through the ashes of Rainbow. Long live the Fallen!" the guy stated before I started to hear him froth at the mouth. Fuck. Cyanide pill in his tooth or something. My suspicion was confirmed after the guy went limp in my grip.

"Son of a bitch," Derrick said. "He didn't get a shot off did he?" I picked up the guys fallen weapon after letting him fall to the ground and checked the magazine. Standard M1911 pistol. 10 round magazine. All 10 rounds were still in the mag.

"Nope," I answered and tossed it on the dead guy's body. Derrick was looking at the shotgun. He whistled.

"Look at this," he said and showed me the gun. "M590A1. Older model too. Haven't seen this one in a few years." Derrick was right. Although I'm not that proficient when it comes to identifying shotguns, this one looked like it was made around 2015.

"What the hell happened- oh shit," Eliza's voice said from behind us. Derrick and I turned to see her standing there with Jordan. Both of them had wide eyes. Jordan pointed to the dead guy.

"Did you do that?" he asked the pair of us.

"No," Derrick responded. "Think he had a cyanide pill on him or something. He was one of those Fallen guys though."

"Dammit," Eliza said and wiped her face. "Jordan and I will take care of this scene. You 2 get back in there before both of your sisters skin you alive." Derrick and I nodded and made our way back to the ballroom.

Ela and Tina greeted us upon our entrance. I guess Meghan and Monika hadn't arrived yet either. Good news, neither of them looked angry.

"Who was out there?" Tina asked Derrick.

"One of those Fallen guys," he answered. "Where's Snowflake?"

"With your parents. Are you ok?" Tina said. I glanced over to see Derrick's dad holding Zoey in his arms. Zoey looked like she was having the time of her life. Ela had got between me and my view.

"Get over here," she demanded and pulled me into a hug which I'll admit was impressive as I am a rather big guy.

"Hey I'm alright," I said and gently patted Ela on the back. "It was only one guy. Eliza and Jordan are taking care of it. Where's the happy couple?"

"They were about to enter but Monika saw you and Derrick run outside and wanted to wait until you came back," Ela answered, still holding onto me. She was looking towards my father before looking back up at me.

"Eliza has my knife," I whispered. "Feel better now?" She nodded. At that moment, Nate was announcing the entrance of the newly married Meghan and Monika. The pair of them walked in and took to the dance floor where they proceeded to share their first dance…to Styx?! Are you kidding me?! I FUCKING LOVE STYX! I'm not even kidding. Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me you schweinehund! Just because I like heavy metal music mainly, does not mean I don't hate every other genre…except that American pop country shit. Ever notice those songs are always about 1 or a combination of the following 5 things? America/places in America, drinking, some kind of vehicle, a love interest or religion. Every. Fucking. Song. Plus I know Derrick and the rest of Time Warp has a bit of a soft spot for the easy listening songs too. Speaking of Derrick, he was standing close to me and gave me his "Loki Smile." Uh oh…

"Please tell me you didn't do some sort of prank on them," I whispered. Derrick shook his head and held his finger up as if waiting for something. He looked over to Meghan and Monika who were swaying in a circle together. I eventually understood what he wanted to do and I returned the smile. When both Meghan and Monika didn't have one of their backs to us, Derrick and I began to lip sync the chorus of "Babe" to each other. A few people that saw us chuckled (including Meghan and Monika) but we stopped shortly after they turned away in order to keep people's focus on them rather than us. Ela proceeded to grab my arm and place it around her shoulders. I put my other hand against Ela's stomach again.
"They're both doing great," she whispered. "I…I think I have a name for the boy."

"Oh really," I whispered back. "Hit me." Ela did actually playfully hit me and then giggled. "Ow. Rude." I turned to see her looking at my parents, specifically my dad who was holding hands with my mom next to Derrick's parents and Zoey. Zoey was still being held by Joe and she was silently watching Meghan and Monika dance.

"Tobias?" I asked. Ela nodded.

"I could call him Tobey…like the guy who played your hero Spider-Man," Ela said. "I'll let you name the girl. I won't object. It has to be within reason though. I'm not calling my daughter Abcde or Apple or something stupid like that."

"Done, I'll pick something meaningful for you like you did for me. With any luck, Tobey will be just like me. You've seen how much I love my mom." I said as Meghan and Monika concluded their dance and we all sat down for dinner. Toasts were then exchanged. Derrick went first. He stood up and placed his hand upon Meghan's shoulder.

"Hate to break it to ya Megs but I already got married and had a kid before you did. So get BODIED," Derrick began. "But seriously, I've always wanted you to get your happily ever after after seeing how bad that one girl ended things with you in college. Y'all, I used to get phone calls at like 3 am and I would talk with Megs until about 6, even though I had class that morning. When I found out that Monika was this 'pretty German woman' I kept hearing you talk about, I figured you'd end up together…even if I know your heart still yearns for Rachel Leigh Cook. If I've learned anything in my first 2 years of marriage is that it needs two main things, a good sense of humor and selective hearing. To Meghan and Monika!" He raised his glass in the air before giving Meghan a hug and then he called Zoey up to give Meghan a hug too.

"Auntie Meg!" Zoey said quite clearly and it caused her to gasp and try not to cry.

"Auntie loves you so much, Zoey. You will always be my little Munchkin, do you understand me?" Meghan said to Zoey as I stood. Zoey responded with "Pincess!" again and Meghan hugged her tighter. Monika inhaled sharply before I began to speak. She didn't need to worry. I've always been good in front of crowds. Derrick was too. Actually, he told me about this one time when he was stationed in Vermont for a few months in the fall, he had taken some time to do a local haunt event in a town called Essex. I believe it was called "Nightmare Vermont" or something. He told me he played a German building manager that had a fight with someone in a teddy bear costume.

"Honestly, ditto Zoolander," I began. "Monika has always been there for me in my worst moments and as I have been there for hers. There's some asshole in Germany that still flinches every time he hears the name Lukas or a toilet flushing. Let that be a warning for you Meghan. Monika's best friend has always been me but after watching her relationship grow with Meghan, I will happily relinquish that title to you Meghan. Just don't hurt her in any way because I'll know. Plus I hear Heidi Klum is single now. To Monika and Meghan, here's to a lifetime of happiness!" Monika hugged me tightly afterwards. I proceeded to eat dinner along with the rest of the assembled guests. Eliza and Jordan returned during my best man toast to Monika and both had given me the all clear sign. There was also a message on my phone that I checked as I ate.

Jordan - "We got some recruits stationed around the perimeter. No way anyone else is gonna get through. Plus there's a good amount of Rainbow Operators in here right now."

Ela was currently engaged in deep conversation about pregnancy things with Tina so I took the opportunity to talk to Zofia about her family life.

"I think Ela is going to try to be the mother we never had," Zofia told me.

"What happened to her," I asked tentatively. Zofia had a reputation of not speaking about her family. Ela did too.

"She died shortly after Ela was born. Sickness. Ela and I barely knew her. As you know, she admired our grandfather," Zofia said.

"What uh…what was her name if you don't mind me asking," I said reluctantly. Zofia smiled (and I'll admit, that surprised me…must be the booze…) and placed her drink back on the table.

"Izabela. My father often told me Ela looked a lot like her," she said simply before Jana got her attention and they began conversing in Polish along with Andrezj. Izabela huh? Izabela Weiss…yeah, I like that! It was perfect actually. I could call her Izzy! I looked over at Ela who was still talking with Tina. She looked over at me and caught my smile.

"Can I help you handsome?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I think I have a name for our daughter," I said just as quietly. Thankfully, no one else but Ela heard. I pressed my finger to my lips signaling to her that this was not the time to tell if we wanted to keep the twin thing a secret. She nodded. I then proceeded to watch Meghan share a dance with her father. Derrick and I exchanged a look with each other and our respective father's before the dance started as well. Richter returned the glance too. This was all part of the plan to surprise Meghan and Monika even more than before. About half way through Meghan's dance, Derrick walked up behind her and Joe let go of her. Meghan looked confused for a moment before she saw Derrick standing there with his hand outstretched for a dance. She needed a moment to compose herself before taking Derrick's hand and finished out the dance with him instead of Joe. Monika was next and I couldn't tell if she knew I was about to do the same thing along with Ritcher. It started the same way, Monika dancing with our father. Richter approached her after a few minutes and Monika was almost too overcome with emotion. Oh great…I couldn't wait to see her reaction to me. I walked over to her and Richter after a few minutes and Richter turned Monika to face me with my hand outstretched. Monika almost collapsed into me and I had to steady her.

"You look beautiful Mon," I told her. She sniffed.

"This is simply the greatest day of my life," she said.

"I can tell," I said. "You haven't looked at your phone for any work updates once."

"Speaking of work, what the hell were you and Derrick doing earlier?"

"One of those Fallen guys. Don't worry, he's taken care of. Jordan and Eliza have posted guards all over the place. Nothing else is going to ruin your special day." Monika leaned against me. Over her shoulder, I saw Meghan standing and watching with Zoey in her arms. Zoey was leaning against Meghan's chest rather contently. I knew that was going to be Ela in a few months with our own kids.

"How does it feel to be Zoey's official aunt now?" I asked. Monika smiled up at me.

"The same more or less really," she answered. The song concluded and Nate queued up some more dance hits from the 80s through the 00s. People proceeded to take the dance floor (Zoey included) while I took a seat next to my wife.

"What name did you choose for our daughter?" Ela asked excitedly. No one else was in our vicinity so we could talk a little louder than before.

"Would you kill me if I wanted it to be a surprise?" I asked. Ela gave me a look. "Oh come on, you sprung that whole lingerie thing with me on Christmas!"

"Alright…alright fair. It's not a stupid name though right?" she asked.

"No. I think it's a good one….you know what. Since you're my wife I'll tell you. Izabela. After your mother." I said. Ela gasped before she clutched her heart.

"How…how did you…how did you know that?" she stammered. I motioned toward Zofia. Ela stared at her before turning back to me with a smile.

"Tobias and Izabela Weiss then? Tobey and Izzy?" I asked and put my arm around her. She nodded and leaned into me.

"I love it, almost as much as I love you," she said. I smiled as well and proceeded to watch my sister and new sister in law dance with my best friend's daughter. After about a few upbeat songs, a slower one came on (REO Speedwagon) and I offered my hand to Ela. She took it after a few seconds. We walked onto the dance floor and the pair of us started to sway in a circle alongside a few other couples. I saw that Ela was lip syncing the words after a few seconds.

"One of your favorites huh?" I whispered. She smiled and leaned into my body. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hear the healthy heartbeats of Tobias and Izabela Weiss.