Oh yes, I love Charlie in that outfit ;) very very very droolworthy. This chapter is moving on a bit, and is set at Christmas. Thank you very very much for my reviews! I love them as much as I love the reviewers! Some people have gambling problems, but I think I have a problem with my like of Charlie's outfit. I know, it's strange, and most likely unhealthy, but I'm going to mention it again in this chapter, although I think this may be the best use yet of that gorgeous shirt.

Sam

xx

"So this is it." Rob said with a sigh. "The end of an era."

"Looks like we're loosing our leader." Lyle observed.

"Charlie can't do it any more." Left-ear agreed. "Now he's - I can't even say it." He said defeated. "It's too serious for Charlie."

Charlie stopped adjusting his tie and grinned at his reflection. He looked at them in the mirror. "Guys, I'm not going to the moon, I'm getting married." He told them.

That day had finally come. It was Christmas Eve, as both Charlie and Stella decided that Christmas was coming sooner than Valentines day, so they wanted to get married then. As it was Christmas, Charlie had got into the spirit by not wearing a white shirt, but instead wearing a red one with his black tux. When getting fitted for a suit, he felt more like he was going to a funeral when it came to the shirt being white, so he had decided to add a little colour to the outfit, and he had to say, he looked a bit more than presentable. It was only an hour away now, and Charlie was upstairs, above the church in a chamber that overlooked the seats.

Stella had wanted a church wedding, but it was mainly going to be friends there. Charlie had suggested that she invite her mother but she insisted that she would rather eat dog mess than have her there. Of course, John Bridger couldn't be there, but they both knew that he would be there in his own way. His parents wouldn't be their either, seeing as his mother had died when he was young and he didn't want his father anywhere near Stella. His two sisters and other relatives were coming, but for Stella, there were only a few relatives, such as her elderly grandfather and a few cousins, but other than that she was just inviting friends. Personally, he didn't mind whether half the world turned up or if there were only two other people, as long as he was there, and Stella was there, and there was someone to marry them, he didn't mind.

"You'll never be the same again." Left-ear assured him. "Marriage changes a man. It's all about the three rings."

"What three rings?" Charlie asked.

"The engagement ring." Left-ear began.

"The wedding ring." Lyle continued.

"And the sufferring." Handsome Rob ended.

Charlie laughed. "Come on, guys, this is Stella." He reminded them, and then whispered to himself. "If she hasn't run for the hills."

The rest of the men laughed. The pre-wedding jitters, which Charlie had spent the past two weeks assuring them that he didn't have, had officially begun. Unlike other couples though, that hadn't begun with the money spent on the dress. They had plenty of cash now that the last bits from the gold had come through, leaving them with a hefty $5.4 million each; and seeing that Charlie and Stella's was being put together, they had about $10 million, which was more than enough to pay for the wedding. Unfortunately, Charlie hadn't been able to see the dress yet.

"Charlie. You've had months to panick." Lyle said, "And you wait an hour until it starts. Nice."

"Well," Charlie reasoned. "What if she goes back into her 'I never want to see you again' phase?"

"I might not be one on romance as much as sex," Rob started, "But I think that proposing infront of a sunrise with a pink sapphire ring which I know for a fact cost you $12,000, and the amount of flowers and 'lovely little romantic suprises' as she calls them, would make her go back into that phase."

Charlie continued staring at his reflection. "Ok, you may have a point there."

"I can't believe the person who spend years planning the biggest heist ever, not to mention the revenge following it, is nervous." Left-ear laughed.

"Left, I can't wait until you get married and I can taunt you as well." Charlie said, turning to face them.

"You think it's bad now?" Lyle asked Left-ear. "Just wait until Stella gives gets pregnant. We'll be stuck in a corridor with him begging him to sit down.

Charlie frowned at him. "What?"

Handsome Rob laughed. "It's only a matter of time until there's a mini Charlie running around. We ain't stupid."

"Well, I'm not gonna be pacing in a corridor." Charlie assured them. "When the time comes, I'll be right at Stella's side." He said proudly.

He got a few sarcastic 'Aw's from the boys, and held up his arms. "Ok, how do I look?" He asked.

He got a thumbs up from them all, and sighed. "Now, we've just gotta wait for Stella.

Handsome Rob frowned. "Just out of interest, Charlie. But, who's walking Stella down the aisle?"

Of course, John couldn't do it, so she had been made to find a replacement. She had decided straight away that it should be her grandfather, Alan Bridger, even though it would be a struggle for him to make the walk. He was very old now, but had been a very important person in Stella's life; she had probably seen more of him then she had of her father. "Her grandfather." Charlie told them. "Closest person to John she has."

"Well thats that problem solved." Left-ear said.

"The best man decision didn't go as smoothly." Rob reminded them.

Charlie laughed at them and sat down with them. Unable to choose between his three best friends, he had chosen all of them to be his best men. He had known Left-ear since primary school, back when his name was Darren Cameron. Handsome Rob had taught him more things then he could possibly remember off the top of his head, and it had been him that had urged him to realise that he loved Stella. Lyle had just been fantastic through everything, and had helped him out on so many occassions that it was impossible not to like the lovable geek.

"Come on guys, you're all my men." He said. "I'll need all three of you in case I forget what I'm going to say up there."

This wasn't a joke, as some people thought it might be. When he was talking to anyone and saw Stella over their shoulder, he had a funny habit of forgetting what he was saying and trailing off into nothing. It happened every time, garaunteed, and was the guys main source of amusement to arrange for Stella to 'coincidently' walk in on where they were drinking just to try and keep Charlie distracted - but it never worked. He found it hard to sit still for five minutes once he knew that she was in the room.

"You've written your own vows then?" Handsome Rob asked.

"In a way." Charlie said awkwardly.

"What does that mean?" Left-ear asked.

"It means that he's going to stand up there and improvise because he didn't have a clue what to write down." Lyle explained.

"Yeah, thats probably about right." Charlie agreed.

"Unbelievable." Handsome said, shaking his head.

"Well whenever I wrote something down it sounded corny and the bits that were good I knew I'd never remember, so I'm hoping that the words will come to me when I'm up there." He explained.

In her room at home, Stella was sitting with her grandfather and her best friend Alice, waiting for their car to arrive, having her own pre-marital jitters.

"What if he doesn't turn up?" She said frantically.

"He'll already be there." Alan assured her.

"And he's probably just as nervous as you." Alice added.

"You think so?" Stella asked, getting up and pacing again.

"I know so, now sit down!" Alice said with a small laugh.

Stella ignored her. "What if I do something stupid and trip?" She asked. "Or forget my vows?"

"You won't forget your vows." Alice assured her. "It would be easier to make them up on the spot anyway."

"It would?" Both Alan and Stella asked.

"Of course, that way, the words come naturally and from the heart." Alice explained.

Stella smiled. "Good idea." She said, trying to forget everything she had prepared to say.

"And stop worrying, angel, you look beautiful." Alan said softly.

Stella stopped at his comment and looked in the mirror again. Althought white was a traditional colour for getting married, she had chosen to wear red, seeing as it was Christmas Eve. The dress reached down to the floor, concealing the red strapping sandals that she had spent hours choosing. It was a bustier at the top, and she had a small, cut of desinged jacket that she was wearing because of the cold, but was decorated in the same diamonte fashion as the dress itself. The patterns of jewels ran along the dress's skirt hem, and above at the top of the bustier, along with the edges of the sleeves of the jacket. Around her neck was a delicate but elegant diamond necklace, which matched the diamonte on the dress and jacket, along with delicate matching earrings. Alice had twisted her hair up into an elegant knot on the back of her head, and the pair had spent an entire day shopping for the silver tiara that was placed upon her shining gold hair. She had never seen herself look so wonderful, so beautiful, but there she was, in the dress of her dreams, an hour away from marrying the man she loved.

"There's the car." Alice said, hearing the honk of the horn outside the window. "You ready?" She asked.

Stella spent another moment looking into the mirror, wishing that her father was there to see her in this dress, and there to walk her down the aisle like he should be, before turning away from the glass and taking her grandfathers arm. "Absolutely."