"Hey Pitt Bull, time to wake up sleeping beauty" Metal said as he hurled a pillow towards a sleeping Luca

"Urgh, what time is it" Luca mumbled half asleep after the pillow hit his legs

"Time to get enough food in you to soak up any excess alcohol is what it is" Ray said handing him a burger they'd had delivered from room service

"Future daddy in law is on his way back to Como to get ready, so you're our responsibility" Sonny said laughing at the groom to be who was looking considerably worse for wear

"His way of putting me under armed guard" Luca asked as he declined Ray's offer for the burger

"More like giving you an escort, what are you doing" Trent asked curious as Luca got to his feet and started looking for some shoes

"Need to clear this hangover, what time we leaving" Luca said finding his sneakers and pulled them on

"3 hours, you sure your back can handle that old man you struggled enough with giving your back a workout last night with Tinkerbell" Critter said, he had known Luca long enough to know a morning run was part of his hangover cure before he'd eat anything

"Watch who you're calling old man, still drank you under the table, and I'm sure George would be very interested in your action's last night" Luca said with a cheeky smile on his face to the younger Australian male

"All those pregnancy hormones running through her body, she'll be in a great mood" Critter's other sidekick Dede chimed in

"Hey I did nothing that the rest of you didn't do" Critter quickly protested, Georgia was his first real relationship, and she'd successfully kept his party lifestyle in check by laying down some ground rules that if she ever caught him playing with the merchandise she wouldn't be sticking around because she didn't need a man in her life to make her happy, it was a refreshing change of pace than the girls he'd dated in the past, Georgia never protested if he got called away for work, she just went on with life till he got back

"I know that, keep calling me old however, by time Laura and Jess speak to her, you'll be walking like you're in your 80's" Luca said laughing, Critter decided to quit his comments and leave the room

"So where you going" Clay asked as Luca pulled out a fresh t-shirt and shorts from his bag and made his way towards the bathroom

"Quick run, get the blood and endorphins pumping before coming back here and get ready to get married to the woman I love, got a problem with that" Luca asked looking back at the group

"Want some company" Jason asked

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"Hey, there's the beautiful bride to be" Jay said walking into Jess's bedroom at the villa, she was sitting at the dressing table in her wedding dress and checking her hair in the mirror, the dress had a copper underlay with an ivory antique lace material over the top and a ivory satin ribbon belt that had sparkling copper and rhinestone flower embellishments around the waist to break up the middle, Jess's hair had been pulled back into a low messy bun with braids running down the sides and some soft curls framing her face, she'd continued the copper colour in the form of a headband that had the same flower embellishments that were around her waist, the colours complimented the olive middle eastern complexion Jess had inherited from her mother, instead of standing out like a straight white would have, it looked more natural for her

"Hey dad, everything go okay last night" Jess asked as she turned to look at him

"Let's just say a few of them will be a bit bleary-eyed this morning, wouldn't be surprised if Trent's dishing out a few antiemetic injections" Jay said walking in closer to her he saw the familiar locket that was once Sara's sitting on the dressing table open, in it was a photo of Sara, and on the other side was a picture of Saint Rebecca of Lebanon, Sara had regularly prayed to her when she was struggling to cope with everything she was going through, Jess had never even considered removing the picture even after all these years of it being in her possession

"Was a good night then" Jess asked hoping Luca had had a chance to let loose, he'd been so focused on her these last 4 and a half months

"Not bad" Jay said as he motioned for Jess to stand up and turn around so he could get a good look at her in her dress

"What's wrong" Jess asked thinking there was a problem

"Nothing, you just look so much like your mum" Jay said thinking the clock could have easily been wound back 30 years, and he was looking at his first wife before her cancer had taken hold of her

"You tell me that all the time" Jess said smiling at her dad before sitting back down

"It just amazes me, that's all" Jay said sitting on the bottom of the bed, he saw the veil and shoes sitting there waiting to be put on

"I know these last few months have been hard for you" Jess said looking at him

"They've been harder for you and Luca" Jay said softly

"You know what I mean dad, with mum, you still deployed and had things to distract you" Jess said still looking at him

"Are you forgetting that I was setting up a whole new warehouse, office and distribution centre for the Northern hemisphere, integrated two new brands with WST, been overseeing your investment portfolio and duties and spending time with my granddaughter, I've had plenty to distract me, and I'll have plenty more to do after Alie and I move over, between flying back and forth to Sydney, checking on Berassa's different factories around the world, dealing with suppliers, I'm still going to have plenty to do, so don't you worry about me. As far as the other issue, if I could change places with you and be the one who has to live with it then I would without hesitation" Jay said sensing where this conversation was going and wanting to steer it in a different direction

"I know you would dad, but" Jess said before her dad cut her off

"This is your battle we're dealing with, not you're mums we're reliving okay, the enemy is the same but that is it, you are using different methods and have more advanced technology on hand than what she did, and you're smart enough to know that each battle affects a soldier differently because it changes them, they become more experienced" Jay said hoping the war and soldier references might be enough for her to understand

"So it doesn't bother you" Jess asked curiously

"Of course it bothers me, but I've learnt how to cope by focusing on what I can do to help, and not sitting around thinking about everything that's unfair about this whole thing. I never really feel like I had the ability to help your mum cope with what she was going through baby girl, sure I could do some things, help her go for a walk outside, give her a massage when her muscles really started to hurt, hold her while she was shaking because she was so cold, but it never felt like it was enough. If I could have done even a quarter for her like I've had the ability to do for you these last 18 months, I could have helped keep her a lot more comfortable while she was struggling with it all" Jay said explaining how he felt

"I'm sure mum never felt like you could have done more for her, as you said, you done what you could" Jess said realising how her dad felt

"I know she didn't, but there were more things that she needed help with back then, that I now have the ability to help you with, including putting on that locket and veil before taking you to the church and walking you down that aisle, okay" Jay said pointing to the veil, this was not the day for either of them to dwell on the past, but to focus towards the future

"Okay" Jess said as she closed the locket and handed it over to her dad so he could fasten it around her neck before she put her veil on

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"What's the time, shouldn't they be here by now" Luca asked concerned, he was standing out the front of the church waiting as the guests were arriving

"Relax Luca, they aren't due for another 25 minutes, Jay will message as soon as they get in the car" Eric said, he'd been appointed the contact for the boys in case there was an emergency and either party needed to be contacted

"Where's Emma, does she" Luca started to ask not really paying much attention to what Eric had said

"She knows the lyrics for the music" Jason said interrupting him, Jess and Luca has asked Emma if she was willing to sing instead of having pre-recorded music, she of course was eager to do it after seeing the photos of the ancient cathedral where the ceremony was being held, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to sing in a place of that magnitude

"And the rings" Luca asked looking at Metal

"They're coming with Jess, Cerbs is going to be carrying them, Jay added that pocket to his coat for that very reason, it's all under control" Metal responded, normally it would have been his responsibility to have them, but after finding out they had the bucks the night before and were going to be staying in a hotel over an hour away from the church, he was thrilled not to have the responsibility of guarding the rings, especially seeing as there was some practical jokers in the group who would have been very intoxicated and would have seen no problem with hiding them on him during the night. The rings were safer being guarded by the dog

"Whose idea was that anyway" Trent asked trying to figure out who decided Cerbs was going to be ring bearer

"You really need to ask" Luca said looking at him

"Zah" the boys all responded in unison knowing that no one else who could have potential sway with regards to what was going to happen with the ceremony would have suggested Cerbs for the role

"She figured that since we weren't having a ring bearer, that Cerbs should do it" Luca said remembering the conversation that had taken place, Zalie hadn't asked them about if Cerbs could be in the wedding, she told them he was going to be in it because there was no ring bearer. They originally hadn't chosen a ring bearer, and had agreed to keep the wedding party small to avoid the need of feeling like they had to ask someone because they'd asked someone else already which was a big problem with the kids, Zalie was an only child but all her cousins had siblings, and it didn't feel right to either of them. As far as the adult members of the wedding party, they had decided that whoever they chose had to be special to both of them, and while they had numerous choices for the role of best man, same couldn't be said for the maid of honour and bridesmaid, Laura was the only name on that list as she was the sole reason Zalie had been allowed to come into their lives, and had taken on the parenting role when neither of them were there, Luca still had his enlistment period to finish out, and by time he'd dealt with lawyers and done the discharge process Zalie would have been lost in the system as CPS wanted her away from her birth mother and the rest of their family as soon as possible, and both Luca and Laura were zero contact with the rest of their family already, they had their life's sorted, regular jobs, a stable roof over their heads, complete opposites to the rest of the Anderson family, and had every intention of staying that way. Best man however, Luca wasn't as close to the rest of Bravo as what Jess was, then of course there was Critter and Dede, but they came as a packaged deal and it meant they'd have to try and find another bridesmaid so it was equal numbers, that left Metal, the one man who never once doubted Jess's ability to do the same job he did, and the same man who disobeyed orders to stay put from a superior officer, to join Jay on the rescue mission to find Luca after he was injured, and bring him home instead of leaving him to die in an active war zone that was being shelled, they wouldn't have been heading down the aisle if it hadn't been for him as there was no way Jay could have brought him back alive in those conditions, no matter how good the guy was, all he could have brought back was a corpse to be buried

"And why shouldn't Cerbs be allowed to be the ring bearer, other people have dogs in their wedding's" Brock said laughing as he gave Pepper a good scratch as she sat at his feet, she still had her working dog vest on, but she had what looked like a dress on underneath it so she could go in the church for the ceremony, Brock had been fully aware of Zalie's plan of getting Cerbs in the wedding, not that he had been allowed to mention it, he'd been sworn to secrecy by the little girl who just wanted her best mate there with her while her parents got married, how could Brock say no to that. Cerbs jacket looked like the dog was dressed in a tux with a little bow tie, Jay had fastened the appropriate patches identifying Cerbs as a service dog to the jacket so now Cerbs had a coat for formal occasions, Pepper on the other hand had to stick to her working dog coat, but would be able to take it off as soon as they got out of the church so she could get photos taken with Cerbs in a pretty dress as all the other girls got to wear new dresses, or at least that was Zalie's reason for giving Brock the dress for Pepper to wear so she wasn't left out

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"Car's waiting downstairs, Jess you look so beautiful" Alie said walking into the bedroom to let her know it was getting towards that time, this was the first time she'd seen Jess in the full package, only thing that was missing was the shoes, she'd opted to go for flat soled pumps Hanna had crafted out of the same material as her dress over heels, Luca and Jay were roughly the same height, and had approximately an inch extra in height than Jess meaning the heels would have seen her being taller than both of them in photos, and Jess had always struggled walking in heels, so flat soled shoes had been the perfect solution

"Thanks Alie" Jess said turning back for another look in the mirror as she placed her hand subconsciously over the locket and held it for a few minutes, she never dreamt she could look like this, she looked like any normal, happy and healthy bride, all signs of what she'd been through were gone, the only sign that there had even been a health issue for Jess was a scar on her neck that had already started to fade where she had the trache tube inserted, she'd been so relieved to have it removed early, even though she knew Hanna could have easily covered it with the dress, she was still concerned about the bulk and high level of the neck line, and that she would have looked back at the photos and known that the tube was there, so Jess had been thrilled to call her and ask for a last minute modification to lower the neckline from sitting just under her chin, to the start of her actual neck, after nearly 12 weeks of having a holder wrapped around her neck securing the tube in place, wearing high necked tops and scarves so it was covered Jess wanted to leave her neck free of any foreign obstruction pressing on it and had used some cover up foundation instead to make sure the scar wasn't visible, not that it was in your face visible, Doctor James had called plastics in to stitch it up so it wouldn't be hugely noticeable for this, but Jess had wanted to be extra certain it couldn't be seen so she'd used the make-up as well, and a dress that fitted so firmly around her middle, Jess had never even considered that as she was worried about people seeing the outlines of the button, or the tube running out of the opening draining her urine into a bag that was attached to her inner leg, that people would know she was wearing a bag so she wasn't dealing with the hassle of working around a dress so she could get access to her abdomen, which would be near impossible, yet Hanna had done it, Emma was the only guest who was going to be aware that Jess was wearing a collection bag under the dress, it was what she'd have to use in the future to manage deployment and not be messing around with removing her rig and draining manually every 5 hours on a mission, she'd simply need to pull the drainage tube out from the pouch on the outside of her pants and remove the clip so she could empty it then continue the mission, she figured why not try the method out now

"Laura and Zah are downstairs waiting with Cerbs, he's got the rings safely secured in his coat" Alie said looking at Jess then at Jay

"Well, we better get this show on the road, ready" Jay asked looking at Jess then back to Alie, they both knew that Jess was as ready as she'd ever be, but they wouldn't be able to leave till Jess was ready herself

"Ready, and thanks for everything, both of you, Luca and I wouldn't have made it here today" Jess said taking one final look in the mirror before standing up and putting her shoes on then embraced both of them in a big hug of appreciation for what they'd done for her, the day was finally here, the tears, disappointments and frustrations were now in the past and Jess suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted of her shoulders, she'd blamed herself for the last two times the wedding was postponed, and without the help, encouragement and support from people like her parents, they would have had to cancel yet again, which Doctor Masterson had probably been right in his assumption that it would have made everything a lot harder for them to deal with and she was truly grateful, and she hadn't had to settle, this was exactly what she'd envisioned her day as being the moment she'd reconnected with Luca and they talked about setting another date

"You don't need to thank us, we're your parents, it's our job to look after you and keep you happy, and if that meant doing whatever it took to make sure this still went ahead, then that's what we were going too do" Jay told her with a smile as he softly kissed her on her forehead before all 3 of them left the room and headed downstairs

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"How much longer is this going to take, we've been sitting here for ages" Sonny asked looking at Ray and Naima, they affects of the night before were still very much affecting him and he desperately needed some fresh air

"Shh it shouldn't be to much longer" Naima said quickly to the Texan, she knew Sonny's problem was self inflicted from last night, but he could last for the time it took for the ceremony to finish, and he hadn't been sitting there that long, probably half an hour at most while they'd had the bible readings and prayed

"Luca and Jessica, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly" the elderly Padre asked looking and the couple in front of him, he had a heavy accent but spoke fluent English and as the area had a strong tourist demographic particularly over the warmer months, he'd said many services in English

"I have" Jess and Luca both responded in unison

"Now we're getting towards the end Sonny" Ray said knowing that the I do's were about to be said and the rings exchanged

"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honour each other for as long as you both shall live" the Padre asked Jess and Luca

"I am" they responded

"Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church. Luca, do you take Jessica to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life" the Padre asked

"I do" Luca said with a smile, not taking his eyes of Jess, in a few minutes he was finally going to be able to officially call her his wife, not his girlfriend or his fiance, but his actual wife and he was struggling to keep his excitement under control

"Jessica, do you take Luca to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life" the Padre then turned to ask Jess

"I do" Jess responded with a smile to match Luca's now on her face for everyone to see

"Can I have the rings, may the Lord bless these rings,which you will give to each otheras the sign of your love and fidelity" the Padre asked looking over to Metal who quickly retrieved them from Cerbs jacket and handed them over to the Padre to say the blessing over the rings, before handing the first one to Luca, true Jess looked amazing in her dress, but Cerbs had stolen the show walking in with his mock tux jacket, he'd sat there patiently next to Metal looking at the Padre then he'd cast a quick look back at Zalie to make sure she didn't need him before turning back to the Padre, looking like he was just as understanding of what was being said

"Jessica, receive this ringas a sign of my never ending love and fidelity.In the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy Spirit" Luca said as he slid the ring on her finger, after the ring was firmly in place, Jess was handed the ring she was to put onto Luca's finger

"Luca, receive this ringas a sign of my never ending love and fidelity.In the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy Spirit" Jess said as she repeated Luca's action from a few moments ago

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting for the first time in public Mr Luca Anderson and Mrs Jessica Turner, and all I can say, is it's about time" Metal said proudly making the official announcement as the happy newly-weds walked into the garden reception and the guests gathered to congratulate them, the Bravo family held back for the moment knowing that they would make their way over after they'd dealt with the older guests and blood relations as the group would soon divide up. It wasn't long before the kids grouped off and were throwing tennis balls around for the dogs and playing hide and seek in the orchard area of the garden, Jay was in deep conversation with Salvatore, Kahleed, Hassan and another man who looked like he was a younger member of the Al-Jassim family, Alie was talking to her mother and 3 other women all with dark hair no one from Bravo recognised, Dede was having a very colourful conversation with his mother with Critter providing emotional support, Dede's mum was very traditional and had been asking the other guests if they knew of any single men for her younger daughter Ngoc as she wanted grandkids and repeatedly reminded Dede that as the eldest son it was his responsibility to find a woman to marry and produce a son of his own to carry on the family name and that he was selfish for not giving her one yet. Jess could see the embarrassing side of the story, but she also understood that Mrs Hoang didn't see the error in her actions as she was mimicking the behaviour she dealt with growing up in that culture, no different to how Alie and Nonna had their certain behaviours that people thought seemed odd, it was just who they were

"Everything okay over there" Jason asked indicating towards where Dede and his mum were talking

"It's fine, Mrs Hoang is just a very traditional person with her attitudes towards things, Dede has a hard time dealing with it sometimes, Ngoc to" Jess said assuring them it was okay, this was not the first time she'd witnessed Dede and his mum have this particular conversation

"Like reminding both of them that they're adults and haven't gotten married and given her grandchildren yet" Luca added laughing at what he considered the pure absurdity of the idea of 'you're an adult so now you must get married and give me grandkids'

"Dede particularly cops it as he's the current head of the household and according to tradition needs to produce a male heir to carry on the family line as when the children marry it's the males who are supposed to look after their parents as the girls will move in with their husbands and help him look after his parents" Jess said adding further detail

"That kid don't look old enough to be having kids of her own, what is she 16" Sonny asked looking at Ngoc

"22 actually, just graduated from uni with a bachelors in Business, dad's offered her a job as the PA to the new manager once he's appointed whoever he decides to" Jess said looking over, pleased to see the conversation was over

"Bit of an unfair advantage, knowing the big guy personally" Brock said jokingly

"He calls it taking advantage of a situation, he's known her personally for over 5 years now, he'd rather have someone he knows in a position of responsibility than a complete stranger when it comes down to it, and don't try and tell me you'd do it differently because you would rather someone you're familiar with watching your backs than a total stranger" Jess said looking at them

"That's true, so when are they heading out to hire this new manager" Clay asked curiously

"Same time we fly home, they're there for 2 weeks, then they'll fly back to Virginia Beach and officially move in with us" Luca said wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder

"And how long after that before your back watching our backs in the field" Ray asked curiously

"Roughly the same time if everything goes right, they arrive on the evening of the 20th and my assessment is booked for the AM off the 21st" Jess said giving the dates

"And we're back on rotation the 26th of next month, so nothing fancy, just get yourself qualified so you're back training with us, you'll have time to really get in the swing of it before we are sent out again" Eric said warning Jess she didn't have to ace the test, she just needed to do enough to get that piece of paper signed of so she could start training with them again

"Yes sir" Jess said