A/N: All I have to say about the revival is that the Willifer scenes felt so natural, and I could actually see a lot of the characterisation in UC coming through! AHHHH!

Standing with her back resting against the kitchen counter, Sandy couldn't hold back the smile on her face as she watched the hive of activity her house had become. It had been so long since it had felt this way, bustling with energy, full of life and laughter.

She had missed this. For so long, the big old house had held nothing but quiet and sadness, a constant reminder of sad memories.

But not today.

"Aly wants more champagne," Lynn chuckled as she came through the door from the front lounge room where all the laughter was emanating from. "I think she keeps topping JJ up. I'm trying to remind her that JJ cannot be hungover tomorrow"

Sandy laughed. "JJ's old enough to know the consequences of her own actions"

Leaning back as Lynn pulled open the fridge, Sandy let out a quiet breath of disbelief.

Tomorrow.

It was tomorrow.

The wedding that had been... years in the making.

Of course, they had only been engaged since July. But everyone was in a unanimous agreement that it was a wedding that had been in the cards for many, many years prior to that.

"You ok?" Lynn asked as she straightened up from the fridge, a bottle of champagne clutched in her hand.

Sandy nodded, a small smile gracing her face. "Just... thinking. About Michael"

Lynn's face softened. Without a word, she gently placed the bottle down on the countertop, before closing the gap between her and Sandy and placing a comforting hand on her friend's arm.

"I miss him. I guess I never really thought about the fact that he's not here, through all of this planning, but... it's just hit me that... our baby girl is getting married tomorrow... and he's not here," Sandy said sadly, taking a deep breath in an effort to keep control of her composure. "He would be so proud. So happy"

"I'm sure he is," Lynn said gently, smiling at Sandy. "I know he is"

"He's been gone for nearly two years," Sandy breathed. "So much has happened. And with all of that, I don't think I ever stopped to fully understand everything that he will miss"

"You guys have been through it," Lynn said in gentle agreement. "There's no denying that at all. I think you're allowed to feel sad about the fact that he's not here. You've handled… a hell of a lot by yourself, and you've done an amazing job. You kept JJ above water when she was at her absolute worst, and I'm sure that was just the cherry on top of dealing with your own shit as well"

Sandy nodded, blinking back her tears.

"If you need to cry, don't hide it. We've got plenty of alcohol to drown our tears," Lynn said with a chuckle, gesturing towards the bottle behind her.

"I don't want JJ to see me upset," Sandy replied, gingerly wiping under her eyes and taking another deep breath. "I don't want to upset her... not tonight"

Smiling, Lynn leaned in, giving Sandy a comforting squeeze. "Take a breath. Tonight we're here to have fun. And then tomorrow, we can all tackle whatever emotions happen to come up"

Chuckling, Sandy reciprocated the hug, before pulling back and giving Lynn a smile. "And I'm sure there'll be a few of them"

Lynn laughed. "Without a doubt. Aly's already informed me she's going to bawl like a baby when JJ's walking down the aisle"

"She can join the club," Sandy said with a grin, picking up her glass and falling into step beside Lynn as they made their way back into the lounge room, champagne clutched in hand.

"Jeez, took you long enough, did you go to France for it or something?" Aly crowed as the two women entered the room. The room was full, with Aly, Simone, JJ, Katie, Lisa, and Bailey-Rose all sprawled from one end to the other, dressed in their comfiest clothes and indulging in plenty of snacks as they chatted and laughed to pass the evening. Aly was sitting in one of the armchairs, JJ cross legged on the floor in front of her with Bailey-Rose in her lap. Simone was laying on her belly nearby, playing on her phone as she nibbled at some chocolate, while Lisa and Katie were crowded over Katie's laptop on the opposite side of the table, their heads bowed as they looked through something that they had refused to show anyone who asked.

"I was gone for two minutes," Lynn admonished with a smirk. "And stop topping up JJ's glass, I don't care if you're hungover, but she's not going to be"

JJ laughed, giving Aly a playful nudge.

"Yeah Aly, JJ's not allowed to be 'ungover!" Bailey-Rose piped up, making all the adults laugh as Lisa looked up and gave her daughter a grin.

"You tell 'em B-Rose," she laughed, making the young girl giggle.

"Well, since we're all apparently cutting the bride off any moment now-"

JJ snorted as Aly lifted her glass into the air.

"-I would like to propose a toast. To JJ, who after years of being one half of the most disgustingly in love couple I have ever seen, is finally going to marry the guy that she definitely was in love with way before she actually admitted it"

"Hear hear!"

"Hey!" JJ shot back in response to her sister-in-law's jibe, laughing as Katie locked eyes with her across the room.

"Sorry Jayje, it was obvious to literally everyone but you," Katie laughed.

Aly giggled, still holding her champagne glass aloft. "I'm just teasing Jayje. I'm so happy for you. You guys have been a long time in the making, and finally it's all working out exactly how it should"

Feeling a pink flush cross her cheeks, JJ couldn't help the hopeless smile that spread across her face. "I never saw myself as someone who would have a big wedding, and like… this isn't exactly a huge wedding… but I'm so excited. I'm getting married tomorrow!" she said in disbelief, prompting everyone to cheer and take drinks from their glasses.

"And you're gonna look like a princess!" Bailey-Rose piped up from her lap. Smiling, JJ tipped the little girl's chin up so she could see her face.

"You think so?"

"Yeah!"

Laughing, JJ gave her niece a tight squeeze, resting her chin against the top of Bailey-Rose's head as the chatter and laughter picked up again, filling the room, and surrounding her with a feeling of warmth and love she knew she couldn't even begin to describe.

A couple of hours later, everyone had turned in for the night, wanting a good night's rest before what was bound to be a big day.

But JJ couldn't sleep. Her stomach was filled with excited butterflies as she finished brushing her teeth, and so rather than getting straight into her old bed as she came out of the bathroom, she crept out into the hallway, padding softly along the carpet until she came to her mom's bedroom door. Turning the handle, she slowly opened the door, soft light spilling out into the dark hallway as she did.

"What are you doing?" Sandy asked with a grin as she looked up from the book she was reading. "You should be asleep"

"I can't," JJ replied, quietly closing the door behind her and making her way across the room, a hint of a smile playing around her lips. "I'm too excited"

Relaxing into a soft smile as JJ clambered up onto the bed, Sandy marked her place in her book, reaching over and setting it down on the bedside table. JJ wriggled beneath the covers, coming to rest beside her mom as Sandy leaned onto her side, one arm propped up above the pillows she was leaning on.

"I can't believe you're getting married tomorrow," she said softly. "Part of me still thinks you're twelve"

JJ scoffed. "Believe me, so do I"

Sandy laughed, shaking her head as her other hand toyed with the fabric of her duvet. "I still remember the night before I married your dad"

Looking up, JJ stayed quiet, watching expectantly as she waited for her mom to continue speaking.

"I was just like you. Excited, stomach full of butterflies. A little nervous. I crawled into my mom's bed that night as well"

"I'm sure Nandy loved that," JJ chuckled. "Her and her space"

"Oh, I got it all, 'you're too big to be climbing in here', 'I need my beauty sleep'," Sandy laughed, imitating her mom's voice. "But ultimately, I stayed there until the morning. And she was only messing around, you know what she's like"

"Yeah," JJ giggled.

"I think I just wanted one more night to be her little girl," Sandy admitted, smiling knowingly down at her daughter. "One more night to embrace the part of me that still felt like a child… before I started this new, exciting life with your dad"

A short silence fell between them, broken only when JJ wriggled around onto her side so she could see her mom better.

"I… wouldn't be here without you," she said in a soft voice. "And I know I've said it a million times, but I… I need you to understand how true it is"

"JJ-"

"I know it wasn't just you, I mean, Will, he… he saved my life, but you… you kept me here," JJ said, her voice threatening to crack as she spoke. She didn't want to cry. Not tonight. It was supposed to be a happy occasion. "You kept me alive when I didn't have enough strength to do it myself, and there was… a brief period in my life last year when you were all I had to keep me going. And I need you to know how much I love and appreciate you for everything you've ever done for me"

Sandy swallowed hard, smiling in an effort to fight back her tears as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to JJ's forehead. "I know, baby girl. I promise, I know"

Allowing the moment to wash over them in the silence that followed, Sandy reached out behind her, flicking off the bedside lamp and plunging the room into near darkness as she got comfortable beneath the covers.

"You know… I've missed you since you moved out," Sandy said after a little while. "Not that I'm not happy for you, because you and Will just seem so happy, but this house is… very quiet and lonely when it's just me"

"I miss you too. There's been so many times where I've thought about something I want to tell you, or talk to you about, and then it takes me a second to realise you're not just in the next room anymore," JJ replied, a little laugh escaping as she spoke.

"I'm just a phone call away," Sandy reminded her gently. "Doesn't matter what time of day it is"

"Do you mind if I stay here tonight?" JJ asked quietly.

Sandy smiled through the darkness, reaching across under the covers to squeeze JJ's hand. "Not at all"

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, seeming to echo through the quiet silence of the night around them.

"Are you nervous?" Sandy asked. "About tomorrow?"

Pausing for a moment, JJ slowly shook her head. "No… no, I'm not nervous," she said slowly, hesitating as she thought out her next words. "He's… my soulmate. I still remember the day he told me I was his… nearly five years ago. And before that… he told me he would marry me. I just- there's no nerves. I know this is it. I love him so much. And I'm so excited to see where life takes us"

Sandy could feel her heart swelling in her chest. After the last two years of their lives, with everything the universe had thrown at her little family… they were happy. They were healing.

Everything was going to be ok.

"I'm excited for you," she said with a soft laugh. "It really is just another of life's great adventures. Your dad and I had an amazing run. Don't get me wrong, there were definite ups and downs… but I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. It made me who I am today"

Glancing at the clock that still sat on the opposite table, Sandy let out a gentle sigh, tugging the covers up higher. "Come on. We should probably get some sleep"

As they settled down, JJ shuffled around until she was facing her mom, catching her eye in the half light. Sandy smiled, reaching out and brushing JJ's hair off of her face.

"I love you. Don't you ever forget it," she said with a little laugh. JJ grinned.

"Promise. I love you too"