Note #1: Okay, no more teasing. This wedding is something I just had to write, but tomorrow I'll post the first chapter of "Fruit of My Womb", which will be the next installment of this series, and on which I'll start answering the questions I left hanging on "The Demon's Advocate". I really mean it; the first four chapters are good and ready, thanks to Barb's beta reading.

Note #2: Those of you who don't know Bach's "Air on the G String" -- the song I chose for the wedding -- can hear it at the following address:

http://www.bridle.demon.co.uk/Audio/gstring.mid

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"Paige is gonna freak out if you ruin her candle arrangement." -- Leo's voice startles Cole, and he almost drops the candle he was toying with.

"Why are they taking so long?" he asks with a hint of anxiety in his voice, putting the candle back in place.

"Relax, Cole," says Leo. "Are you afraid that Phoebe will have second thoughts about the wedding and run away?"

When he sees the look on Cole's eyes, Leo almost regrets having joked about that.

"Your nerves are really on the edge, huh?" he says, patting Cole's back.

"I guess..." Cole sighs. "Everything has gone right so far. Perhaps too right. I keep expecting something to come up and ruin the night." He glances towards the stairs and adds, frustrated: "Twenty minutes ago Prue said they were almost ready: where are they?"

"Hey, it was your idea to invite Prue," says Leo, smiling. "And trust me, it took a lot of talk to convince the Elders to let her be here tonight."

Cole gives him a puzzled look, and Leo explains:

"The girls have obviously cried their eyes out up there," -- he motions his hand towards the second floor -- "you just have to take a look at Prue to know that. They won't come downstairs until they've managed to repair the damage."

Leo studies Cole's face for a while, then suddenly says:

"Come here," -- he pulls Cole by his arm, taking him to the kitchen -- "You need to stop worrying, otherwise you're gonna spoil the mood."

Once they get there, he picks up one of the several gift boxes resting on the kitchen table and hands it to Cole, saying:

"You were supposed to see those only after the ceremony, but you need something to keep your mind away from the waiting."

Cole looks from the box in his hands to the others that are still on the table, and then back to Leo, giving him an intrigued look.

"This one is from me and Piper," says Leo, pointing at the boxes as he says the names, "this is from Paige, this is from Darryl and Vanessa, and that one is from Victor."

Then, pointing at the package Cole is holding, Leo explains:

"I know I was in charge of the dead guests only, but I took the liberty to deliver another invitation, and although he couldn't come for the wedding -- it's harvesting time or something -- Sarsour asked me to give you this."

Cole smiles as he looks at the neatly wrapped package, wondering who wrapped it for his friend, then he takes the card that came with it and reads the message written in Sarsour's irregular handwriting:

"You were right: family is a great thing.
Be happy, the two of you: you deserve it.
Sarsour"

Cole carefully puts the card aside as he unwraps the package, revealing a small, finely worked silver piece. Seeing Leo's curious look, he explains:

"It's an amulet: it's supposed to bring prosperity to the house it belongs to."

Before Leo can reply, Piper bursts into the room, saying:

"Here comes the bride!"

Cole immediately places the box on the table, next to the others, and darts towards the living room, followed by Piper and Leo. Everyone else is already in place: Penny is standing in the middle of the room, with Prue and Paige by her right, and Victor, Patty, Darryl and Vanessa by her left. Piper and Leo join Paige and Prue -- who has Ben in her arms -- and Cole stands next to Penny, holding his breath as they hear Phoebe's voice coming from upstairs:

"Hey! Who turned off the l..."

Phoebe stops short, drawing a sharp intake of breath. Leo points the remote to the stereo, and while she stands at the top of the stairs, looking at the scene before her with big round eyes, the first notes of Bach's "Air on the G String" fill the room.

The whole room is immersed in a dream-like atmosphere. Most of the furniture has been either removed or pushed aside, and from the walls hang luxurious ivory and cobalt blue bows of tulle. The only light come from the aromatic candles of all shapes and colors that fill the living room with the delicate aroma of lilac.

Lowering her eyes, Phoebe realizes that the stairsteps before her are covered with pink and white rose petals, creating a path that leads her straight to where Cole stands, looking at her in silent expectation. When her eyes meet his, everything else in the room disappears like magic: her family and friends, the beautiful decoration Paige has provided, the music... everything is gone, leaving only her and the man she loves. She finally regains her wits, and the radiant smile she gives to Cole can only be matched by his own. His eyes lighten up as she starts to walk towards him, her eyes locked in his loving gaze.

Phoebe feels the tears pricking her eyes, her heart beating stronger at every step she takes. The path she's walking is very much alike the one she and Cole have walked to get here: light and darkness, truth and lies, joy and pain. And as she looks at him, waiting for her at the end of the path, Phoebe knows beyond doubt that it was worth it all.

Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby

It was a long, long way they walked. They took all the wrong turns, hit all the dead ends. Yet, they've come around: love saw them through it all.

We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

They broke up. They promised never to see each other again. They wanted to die. They wanted to kill. But more than anything else, they wanted to be together. Even when they hated each other. Even when common sense told them to throw in the towel, when it would've been so much easier and safer to just give it up. Fate was against them and they've proved fate wrong.

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

Phoebe wants to run to him, to throw herself in his strong, loving arms. Yet she forces herself to keep a steady pace, savouring the moment for as long as possible, letting the music, the perfume, the sight of him overwhelm her senses, building memories that will last forever.

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Cole watches her as she slowly makes her way to him, feeling dizzy with happiness. They're everything that should never have happened, wrong from day one, and irredeemably fated to failure. Yet, they have made it.

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together

Evil didn't want to lose him. Good wanted to push him away. Evil tried to corrupt her. Good tried to kill him. Evil tried to kill them both. Neither side could have foreseen how strongly they'd cling to each other, how obstinate and desperate they'd be, sticking together through heaven and hell.

I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'

Phoebe stops before him, and Cole takes her hands in his and kisses them passionately, never taking his eyes of hers.

"I can't believe you did this," she whispers.

"I can't believe we made it," he says in the same tone.

"Yeah," she says, huskily, "we did make it."

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

"Ah-hem!" Penny clears her throat, and Phoebe and Cole turn to her, slightly startled. "Shall we start?"

"Please," says Cole, unwillingly releasing Phoebe's hands, while she just nods, not trusting her voice right now.

Penny smiles at them and starts the ceremony:

"We are gathered here today to unite two souls as one. Do you, Cole Turner, and you, Phoebe Halliwell, join us here of your own free will to acknowledge the eternal bond shared by both of you?"

"I do," says Cole.

"I do," says Phoebe.

"Then face each other and join hands. Cole, you may recite your vows."

Cole takes Phoebe's hands in his again, holding them tight against his heart.

"Phoebe," he says, "when I met you, I was like someone born blind that all of a sudden started to see. Loving you made me see shapes and colors that I had never dreamed existed. Today I realize that you are everything I spent my entire life looking for, even when I didn't know I was looking for something."

Cole's voice falters and he cleans his throat, trying to steady his voice to proceed:

"You gave me a son who is the most important thing in my life, Phoebe. But you are my life."

Cole knows his composure won't be held for much longer, so he takes a deep breath and finishes his vows:

"I'm afraid I have nothing else to offer you besides what you already have: my heart, my soul, my mind, my entire being. It's all yours, baby. I love you."

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life

They wait a few moments until Phoebe can stop crying and recite her vows. When she finds her voice again, she retracts her hands, bringing Cole's hands towards her chest and pressing them against her own heart as she says:

"Cole, before I met you, I was afraid of love: I had this idea that by not loving I'd be spared from the pain of loss. As you came into my life, I understood that not loving is the greatest loss of all.

She smiles softly as she proceeds:

"A couple of weeks ago, someone at work asked me if I thought we were a match made in heaven." -- both she and Cole chuckle slightly -- "I guess they were extremely surprised when I said that no, we weren't meant to be. I've met Cupid a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't the one who brought us together. Cupid had nothing to do with it. Fate had nothing to do with it. We did it. That's why we're together: because we chose each other. I love you, Cole. I always will. I'll give you my life, my heart and my soul, and how could I not, when I own them to you?"

(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Penny smiles and says:

"Here before witnesses, Cole and Phoebe have sworn their vows towards each other. With this cord, I bind them to those vows."

The rope comes to life and ties itself around their hands, just like it happened on Piper and Leo's wedding, and Cole and Phoebe say together, looking deep into each other's eyes:

"Heart to thee,
body to thee,
always and forever,
so mote it be."

"So mote it be," Penny says softly.

"So mote it be," repeat all the others, as Cole leans over and pulls Phoebe to a long, loving kiss.

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

The End
(Next installment: "Fruit of My Womb")