***8 Weeks Later***
"Ok, let's do this".
"How do you feel?"
"Fine. I'm not nervous or anything, but I am ready beyond measure to get it over with".
"Well, we are going to do just that".
Jennifer helped Rachel with her dress. It was a white organza strapless ball-gown, with a sweetheart neckline and a floor-length chapel train. The skirt and the train were all filled with layers and layers and layers and layers of ruffles. The bodice was covered in beads and sequins and sparkles.
It took Jennifer and Alexandria and Stacey to work together and get the dress on Rachel. Jennifer was zipping it up and then securing the eyelets. The others helped her with her shoes.
After Stacey touched up her hair and makeup, the photographer came and took several solo shots of Rachel while the others got ready.
Jennifer, Alexandria and Stacey were all wearing lavender sleeveless floor-length gowns with an A-line skirt. Their dresses had a deep v-neckline, and a banded waist. They were all wearing flip flops, and carrying hand cut and tied pink lilies.
They were waiting on Rachel to come back from her photo session when Jonathan knocked on the door.
"Well, don't you ladies look gorgeous".
"Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself".
Jennifer leaned up and kissed him.
"Jack sent me to give Rachel her wedding present."
"Oh, she's taking some photos with the photographer. She should be back any minute".
"I see. I just spoke with Deanne. She and Lanie and the babies are having a blast. She said for us to not worry about a thing".
"We are going to owe them tons when we get home".
"Yes, we will. But it's ok. We deserve a night out".
"Yes, we do. And I can't wait to dance with you at the reception in a bit".
"I'll save every dance for you".
He leaned down and kissed her again, just as Rachel got back to the bridal suite.
"Ok lovebirds, this is my wedding day".
"She's right, honey. Didn't you have something to give her?"
"Oh yes. This is from Jack".
"Another present? He has spoiled me so much already. He sent me flowers and Starbucks this morning, and he left me the sweetest note at the house last night".
He pulled a slim present out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Rachel.
She opened it to find a framed stained-glass piece of artwork, that depicted a man proposing to a woman. Their engagement date was engraved along the bottom.
"How sweet! I love it!"
She went and dug out a package for him, and took it to Jonathan.
"Please give this to Jack".
"Sure thing. Rachel, you look gorgeous".
"Thank you".
"Bye honey, I'll see you at the ceremony".
"I'll be waiting for you".
Jennifer kissed him again and then Jonathan headed out.
For the next hour, things moved at a fast pace. The ladies took tons of pictures and the wedding coordinator painstakingly made sure that Jack and Rachel didn't see each other.
Finally, it was time to start the ceremony.
Jennifer and Rachel were holding hands while Alexandria and Stacey walked down the aisle. Rachel made sure to get the photographer to take a picture of their hands, like they had at Jennifer's wedding.
Jennifer walked down just ahead of Rachel, and then Max and Rachel walked down the aisle.
The ceremony was short and sweet, but also to the point. They did a unity sand creation in the middle of the ceremony, and then before they knew it, the ceremony was over and they were pronounced husband and wife.
For the next few hours, Jennifer and Jonathan danced, ate, and had a blast with all of their friends. After all the wedding traditions were over, Jonathan and Jennifer hit the dance floor once more.
"I love dancing with you".
"Well, that's wonderful because I love dancing with you just as much".
Just after their dance ended, Alexandria came and got them.
"Jennifer, Rachel says grab a flute of champagne and meet her in the bridal suite".
"Ok, I'll be right there".
She turned to Jonathan.
"I'll be right back, darling".
They shared a quick kiss, and then Jennifer headed to get a champagne flute and headed off to the bridal suite.
She found Rachel and Alexandria and Stacey already in there.
"Ok ladies, I just wanted us to have one last toast before married life consumes all of us".
"Stacey, you're the lone holdout".
"Well, I have an idea. What do you guys say we all meet up again in a year and you can all stand up for me?"
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Oh my gosh! Tell us everything!"
"Will asked me last night, after the rehearsal. We took a walk on the beach, and when we got to the pier, he got down on one knee and I said yes".
"Congratulations!"
"We are all so happy for you".
"Ok, so….JARS. And after Stacey marries Will, we will be JARSJDJW".
They all shared a laugh, and then clinked glasses and took a sip.
"How about a girl's trip in the fall, just the four of us?"
"Yes".
"I'm in".
"Let's do it".
"Absolutely".
"So, now that it's just us, where are you two going on your honeymoon?"
"We are not telling anyone. We want to go somewhere that nobody knows us, and we can just be ourselves and focus on each other. If we bother other people, who cares, because we will probably never see them again".
"Well, wherever you end up, have a wonderful time".
They clinked glasses again, and then took another sip, and then helped her get her things together.
"Mushy, do you want to get out of that dress?"
"Yes, but I'm going to let Jack have the honor of doing that".
"Ok, so let's make it easy on him. I will detach your train, and undo the eyelets, so all he has to do is unzip the dress".
After Rachel was squared away, it was time for them to do the final toasts and then Jack and Rachel were going to leave.
"Ok everyone, get a glass of something. Toasts will begin in 5 minutes, followed by a final dance for our bride and groom, and then it will be time to say goodbye to the happy couple".
Jack's friends and family toasted him first, and then it was the girls turn to toast Rachel.
Alexandria started it off.
"When I met you, you were the funniest, sweetest person in the room. I knew immediately that I needed to get to know you. What I didn't know was that I was going to come to love you and think of you as a sister. I am so happy that I did. You have taught me to be fearless, confident, and how to stand up for what I believe in. You also taught me how to be the best at what you do the best, which is public relations. You are an amazing person, and I know that whatever dreams of yours that Jack doesn't bring true, you will. I love you".
She passed the mic to Stacey.
"You get me. It's as simple as that. You get my humor, you know what I'm thinking sometimes before I do, and you always know just what to say to calm me down, and that is no easy task. I am so thankful I met you that day in abnormal psych, and I'm so thankful that we pledged Delta Pi together. I know you and Jack will be extremely happy together, and I just want you to know I love you".
Finally, it was Jennifer's turn.
"What is there to say about 18 years of friendship? Bonding that was unexpected, but fun at the same time. Bonding that came out of the worst tragedies that people could go through, that brought two sworn enemies so close together they are inseparable. I did some math, and in our first year of knowing each other, we had 20 fights, 15 apologies, 12 instances where we didn't want to be together but we had to get through it, 10 times where we begged to work with each other because we didn't want to work with someone else, countless hugs, laughs, late night gossip sessions, 4 move ins, 2 room switches, 4 move outs, all to end up with 1 incredible friendship, and 1 very alive but squishy bug. And that was just the first year. After that, it just expanded and grew and got better and better. And you had your fair share of work with me too. You got me through some of the worst times in my life, and you helped me to find the best times of my life. You got me through 2 graduations, 1 move to a different college without you, 3 new jobs, 3 new apartments, 2 boyfriends, 1 boyfriend-turned-criminal and that whole saga, which led to me meeting my wonderful and handsome husband. And then the night when I was dreading having to tell you that I was moving out here with Jonathan, you came and told me you were moving out here to San Francisco. And now we live in the same city once again, to the delight of our husbands, and my children love their Aunt Mushy almost as I do. Happy trails, Mushy. You certainly deserve them".
Everyone held up their glass and saluted the couple.
Rachel came up and gave each of the girls a long hug, and then Alexandria grabbed a long tapered candle.
"You know we got to do it".
Rachel nodded.
The other girls held hands around her as she held the candle and they sang their sorority wedding song.
After that was over, the DJ announced it was time for Rachel and Jack to have their final dance.
As they danced, everyone headed outside and grabbed some sparklers.
"Ok folks, here comes the happy couple! Let's light the sparklers! Hold them up high!"
Jonathan and Jennifer were at the end of the receiving line, and made sure to get some good hugs with each of them in before they left.
Rachel and Jack weren't telling anyone where they were going on their honeymoon. Just before they left, Rachel whispered to Jennifer "Fiji".
"Have the best time. I can't wait to hear all about it".
"I'll call you when we get back! I love you, and I cannot thank you enough for all your help".
"I love you too. It was my pleasure".
As the newlyweds drove off into the night, Jonathan turned and wrapped his arms around Jennifer.
"What a fun wedding".
"Yeah, it was, wasn't it? I'm just so happy for them".
"Me too. Now, we have an agenda. We need to go get your things and my things and I'll bring the car around and then you and I have a room waiting for us at the Westin".
"I can't wait".
She leaned up and kissed him and then headed to the bridal room.
After everything was squared away with the venue, and all of their things had been packed, they climbed into the car and headed to the hotel.
He laced his fingers through hers as they drove along.
"Darling, do you know where Jack and Rachel are staying tonight?"
"Darling, you said goodbye to her at the wedding. We can't go find them again".
"I know that, silly. I wasn't going to say we should go see them. I was trying to make sure we don't see them. She made a big statement to us about how they really and truly want to be alone on their honeymoon and don't want to see anyone they know at all, so I want to make sure we aren't going to run into them in the hotel lobby is all".
"Oh, we won't. Jack told me they were staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in the honeymoon cabana. We are staying at the Westin downtown".
"Great plan".
She squeezed his hand a bit and leaned back in her seat.
He pulled them into the parking lot, and parked and then carried their bags inside.
After they were checked in, they headed to the elevator and up to their room.
He let them into the room, and they came inside and set their bags down.
"How lovely".
"Yeah, this is a nice room".
They wasted no time. Jennifer went and ran them a bubble bath, and Jonathan ordered them a champagne cart, and as soon as it arrived, they sank into the bath and poured themselves some champagne.
He soaped her back and rubbed her shoulders for her, and kissed her neck a few times.
"Are you going to be ok without your best friend for a few weeks?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Plus, she's happy, so that's the important thing".
"I felt so bad for her that her father and stepmom didn't come".
"Yeah, me too. But she extended the olive branch to them several times and they refused it each time and I know exactly how that feels. I'm proud of her for not giving in".
She was quiet for a few moments.
He leaned down and sucked on her neck for a bit.
"Penny for your thoughts".
"Well for starters, keep doing that. And my other thought is, we did it again".
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, everything came full circle, again. In the beginning, you were hurt by Tara, I was hurt by Holden, and we came through that, separately and together at the same time, and we had our happy ending, and we brought our friends with us all. And then we survived the plane crash, and Jessalynn's kidnapping and Tucker Collins, and now all of that is resolved, and we are still here and now Rachel gets her happy ending".
"You're right. I hadn't thought of it like that".
"And I know deep down in my heart, that had you and I not met because of Holden and Tara, there's no way I would have gotten through any of that alone".
"I can't imagine going through that with anyone else".
"Me either".
They shared several sensual kisses and just held each other.
"What do you say we get out of tub, climb in bed and order a pizza?"
"Yes, please".
She kissed him again and then they got out of the bathtub.
She put on a short pink lacey nightgown while he put on a pair of pajama shorts, and they climbed into bed. He ordered them a pizza and they cuddled up together.
"I love you so much it hurts".
"I love you too, more than words".
She leaned over and kissed him a few times and then settled on to his chest.
She played with his chest hair for a few moments while they chatted about things they wanted to do.
"We could take a trip to Italy this summer if you want".
"Well, we could. But darling, we have other things we need to do. We need to put a gate around the pool and we need to order a swing set for the babies and we need to put baby gates around and baby proof the house".
They chatted till their pizza got there and then devoured it in bed with their champagne.
After they were finished, she finished her champagne and then settled on his chest again.
"Darling, you know that list of things we need to do that you were giving me earlier?"
"Yeah".
"Well, there's one thing we forgot".
"What's that?"
"This".
He rolled on top of her and crushed her lips with his, as he took her in arms.
"Oh yeah. Thank you for the reminder".
She kissed him again as pulled her on top of him.
They made love for several hours and then fell asleep, holding each other.
And they lived happily ever after…..