CHAPTER FIFTY:
OHANA AGAIN

It was time. Wendy Pleakley stood at the makeshift altar, anxiously awaiting the arrival of his bride. The waves were calm and the breeze gentle, both conspiring together to play a soothing melody on this perfect day. The ceremony was being held in a small tropical cove not far from the house. Under a canopy of palm fronds and jungle greenery, an outcropping of stone served as an altar. Wendy stood before it on a carpet of moss, all three knees wobbling like noodles in his nervousness.

He watched with an odd feeling of detachment as Lilo, dressed in her hula outfit, paraded down the aisle, sprinkling lotus petals along the way. In a similar ensemble, Stitch followed closely, acting as ring bearer. They were followed by Vay and Nani, the bridesmaids. Both were dressed more formally in flowing lavender and blue dresses. Paired with them were the groomsmen. Jumba and David, suited up in black tuxes and matching lavender and blue cummerbunds, escorted Vay and Nani down the aisle to the altar, where they separated to their respective sides. After Jumba, the best man, and Vay, the maid of honor, had taken their places, a hushed silence fell over the cove as the bride made her debut at the scene.

When Wendy saw her walking down the aisle, his hearts skipped a beat. All the angels in Heaven, both alien and human alike, would surely have coveted the beautiful being that was now walking toward him. When she finally stood beside him, eye twinkling, hair shining like gold as it cascaded down her back, a fragrant, multicolored lei draped around her neck, the white silk of her wedding gown trailing behind her, Wendy's hearts swelled with joy. He turned to face her, taking her hands in his. Tears were already starting in his eye as they stood waiting to say their vows. The grand councilwoman, as a justice of the peace, married them that day.

"Do you, Leera Analilia, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, above all others, for more than infinity, and longer than eternity?"

"I do," Leera answered, barely louder than a whisper. The eye she turned on Wendy just then shone brightly with love's undying light, and his own eye reflected that light tenfold as he continued to fight back tears. Before he knew it, ZaiLeia was addressing him with the same question.

"And do you, Wendy Pleakley, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, above all others, for more than infinity, and longer than eternity?"

"I do," he answered, just as the tears broke through their barriers and started streaming down his cheeks. Choking down a large sob, he tore his eye away from his bride's and nodded an affirmation. He had to bite his lip to stop it from trembling. Leera's own lip was trembling, too; partly from pent-up laughter at Wendy's behavior, and partly from her own attempt to keep from crying.

The grand councilwoman continued. "Then, by the power vested in me, by the United Galactic Federation and the state of Hawaii on the planet Earth, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Nothing could have prepared either of them for that single most golden moment in their lives. Lost in love, Wendy and Leera succumbed to a whirlwind of passion as they melted into each other's embrace, consumed by a kiss that sealed their future together, and the promise of a perfect new life.

THE END

(Well, not THE end, but more or less. I've been extremely busy lately, and that's why I haven't been able to finish this sooner like I said I would. Please stay tuned for the epilogue and the final author's notes to this story, as I will be wrapping this up properly and tying up all the loose ends. Now would be a great time for everyone to review, as I will gladly answer every review of this chapter individually at the TRUE end of this story, which I will try my darnedest to post on Saturday.)