A/N:warning long Chapter ahead!! a little fluffy... enjoy!

Chapter 8

2 weeks later

Over the next two weeks things were at a stand still. They tracked the plates and they came back stolen, as did the SUV. The cameras outside Molly's didn't catch anything that Antonio hadn't already stated in his report. The team was ready for a break. Will and Nats wedding was the perfect opportunity to get out of their own heads and let loose. Basically all of Firehouse 51, as well as the Intelligence unit and most of the hospital would be attending. This was going to be an epic party.

Kat stepped out into the living room, and Hanks eyes teared up. She looked beautiful. He wished Camille could see her. Dressed in a dark blue floor length dress, with a deep V front and open back, Kat felt empowered. Her burn from the fire and the bullet wound were both almost healed. Neither could be seen unless you really looked for them. She usually wouldn't go with something this daring, but tonight she was ready to live it up a bit. Jay had let her know since he was best man, he would have to be at the church early, so she expected him around noon. When the door bell rang at 11:45 she smiled. She opened the door to find not who she was expecting .

"Antonio? What are you doing here?" he wasn't dressed for the wedding.

Antonio could barely put together a sentence after looking at her. The blue made her eyes pop, and the dress had a slit that ran most of the length of her leg, stopping at her upper thigh. Antonio's mind flashed to what quick work he could make of the dress, before he heard Hanks voice call out to him.

"He's here for me. Come on in, grab a drink."

Antonio shrugged past Kat. "You look great." And followed Hank into his study.

Kat just shook her head. He hasn't talked to her in 2 weeks, and those were the words he chose ? She turned back around to shut the door when she saw Jay walking up. His eyes widened and a grin spread across his face.

"Damn girl. You are breathtaking. You might just steal Nats thunder…"

A look of fear washed over her face. "Should I change ? I can change..." She started to head towards her room when Jay grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"No way. Every single guy is going to be jealous of me, and I can't wait. Truly, you look amazing. You ready ? " He held out his arm.

"Let me tell Hank, and we can go. " her face tinged pink from the compliment he gave her. "By the way you don't look half bad yourself Mr Best Man." She gave him a wink. "I'll be right back." She made her way down the hall to the study, knocking once and then entering . She found Hank and Antonio looking at something on the computer at the desk. They quickly stood when she entered. "Jays here. I'm headed out but I'll see you later right?" Hank had been invited as a courtesy she knew, but he never said if he would be attending .

"Naw baby girl. I'm going to sit this one out. But have fun." He gave her a half smile.

"Okay." She turned to Antonio. "You coming?"

He nodded "Yeah, I'll be there later. Got some things to take care of first."

She gave him a slight nod and left .

When she returned to Jay he had her wrap already waiting for her. He placed it around her shoulders, and offered her his arm again. This time she took it and they headed out.

When they arrived at the venue the first person they ran into was Will. He seemed frazzled. Jay tried to talk to him, but he wasn't having it. He was pacing , nervous. Kat took it upon herself as friend of both bride and groom to try and smooth things over.

She placed a hand on Wills arm, making him look at her. "Hey there groom, how you feeling?"

"What if I screw this up? Things haven't always been good between us, what if I really get things wrong this time?" Will was spiraling. She had seen people having panic attacks before, but never this severe. Jay looked at her , not knowing what to do for his brother .

"Will, you are going to do amazing. Listen, I may not be an expert on, well anything . But I know you and Nat are made for each other. You will make mistakes, you're human. But you'll get through it together. That's the most important thing, to be there for each other." She patted his hand just like he did for her when she was in the hospital, a friendly mothering type of gesture. "I know you guys, and you will be great."

He looked at her , eyes wet. "Jay, make sure she sticks around okay? She's a keeper." He leaned down and gave her a tight squeeze, then wandered off to his room to get ready.

Jay turned Kat around and stared down at her. "He's right, that was a pretty great pep talk you just gave him. Where did you come up with that?"

"Camille. She was an amazing mom, and at that moment I felt like he needed a mother." She shrugged. "It wasn't anything special."

Jay shook his head "That's where you're wrong. It was very special." His blue eyes stared into hers. "You are something Katherin Bend." He leaned down and kissed her softly. She brought her hands up and interlocked her fingers behind his neck, pulling him closer to her. He grinned and kissed her again, this time with more intensity. Before it could go too far, they heard a coughing noise come from behind them. When they broke apart they saw Nat standing there.

"I am SO sorry to interrupt but can I borrow her for a sec?" she ran over and grabbed Kats hand, dragging her off before either of them got to answer.

"Woah, Nat what is going on?"

Nat started to ramble, about the same as Will had earlier. "I don't know if I should be doing this. What if we aren't right for each other? What if work gets in the way ? It has before … what if Will and Owen don't get along.? What if…"

Kat interrupted her "Nat. First off that last bit is ridiculous . Your son loves Will, I've seen that with my own eyes. And I'll tell you the same thing I told Will not 5 minutes ago. You guys are made for each other. You will make mistakes, you are human. But you'll get through it together . I am SO unbelievably proud to have you as my friends. You are both amazing people , and I'm glad to be here, witnessing your union! Now, don't you need to get dressed ?" she grinned and playfully shooed Nat back towards her room.

"Yes, but…you and Jay? When did that happen ?"

Kat laughed "About 1 minute ago! Now, if you don't mind I'd like to get back to it."

Nat grabbed her and hugged her tight. "I can't thank you enough. Please say you'll come hang out with us in the bridal room, I want your help."

"Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes . " Kat smiled brightly at the previously frantic woman, who ran off to start getting ready. She shook her head and laughed to herself, then went back to find Jay.

When she turned the corner she saw him, standing and talking to some of the other groomsmen . Doctors from the hospital she guessed , she recognized Connor Rhodes , the doctor that treated her for the gunshot wound, but didn't recognize the others . She walked up to the group , smiling. Jay turned around and grinned at her, taking her hand in his.

"Crisis adverted?" he asked , leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She nodded "Yes, I think both the bride and groom have sufficiently freaked out and are now going to be fine."

"That's my girl. Kat you know Connor." Jay pointed at the brown haired doctor who nodded at her. "But these are Wills other groomsmen. Doctor Ethan Choi, and Doctor Daniel Charles. " both shook her hand when introduced . "Guys this is Katherin Bend. She basically just saved the wedding. HEY!" he laughed as she playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Stop that, I did no such thing. I just talked them down that's all. Anyone could have done it. It's nice to meet you both, and nice to see you again Dr. Rhodes. Mind if I borrow him for a moment?" The group shook their heads and Kat pulled Jay away from the group.

"What's up?"

"Nat wanted me to hang out with them in the bridal suite. Think you can manage without me for a bit?" she nudged him and they both laughed .

"I'll try. I should probably be with Will anyway. Although…." He got up close to her and leaned down "I would much rather be spending time with you, somewhere away from all these people." He kissed her, their lips barely touching . He knew if he did anything more the intensity would be too much and he would never let her go. "Come find me before the wedding , I'll bring you to your seat."

Kats face turned a deep red and she nodded, walking off to the bridal suite. Jay watched her go, silently thanking Antonio for being so stubborn. His loss was Jays gain, and he definitely wasn't complaining . He heard someone walk up beside him.

"So, you're a thing now?"

Jay turned around and grinned. "Hey Antonio. Yeah, I guess we are." He tried not to be braggy, but he couldn't help it. "I told you not to be stubborn. You lost out on a great girl, and you only have yourself to blame." He patted Antonio on the back and walked off to join the other groomsmen.

Antonio wanted to hit something . Jay was right, he couldn't be mad at anyone but himself . After Kat got shot he had gone into a spiral of blame and self loathing . He did what he thought was right, pushing her away when in reality he should have held on to her for dear life. She was the first woman he could see something real with in a very long time, and he royally screwed it up. The wedding wasn't for a few hours, so Antonio decided to go work off some of his anger at the gym.

Bridal suite

Kat knocked on the door and then opened it a bit to peek in. "Hey, everyone decent?"

"Hey Kat come on in! I'm back here!" she heard Nats disembodied voice coming from inside the room. Kat smiled and shut the door behind her, walking into the room. She found three women sitting on chairs , all smiling at her.

"Kat, you know Kim right?" Nat was yelling from another room. Kat laughed and gave the woman a hug. "Yes, hi Kim nice to see you again. "

"You too! You look fantastic. How's the injury healing?" Kim Burgess immediately filled the mom role of the group, even though she wasn't a mom.

"Nicely thank you. You guys look wonderful!" Kat sat down on one of the chairs that was empty.

Nat walked out in her dress, and all the women gasped. "Kat these are my other bridesmaids, April and Maggie. I work with them at the hospital."

"Nice to meet you both." The women shook hands . "Can I just take a second and say damn Nat! You look… I can't even come up with a good word!" all the other women agreed . "That dress is gorgeous! You are going to knock Wills socks off!"

Nat made a gesture as if to say "oh whatever." And grabbed Kats hand. "I need you to do me a HUGE favor."

Kat looked at the other women who just smiled and shrugged at her. "Um, okay… what?"

"Our singer is sick. I need you to sing our wedding song. Please, PLEASE. " She held her hands in front of her as if she was praying . "I will owe you everything. It's not hard, I've got the music right here. You can practice with the pianist. It would mean so much to Will and I for you to do this." She gave Kat a pleading look and Kat couldn't turn her down.

"Well, because it's you two… I suppose. " She squealed when Nat grabbed her and hugged her tight .

"Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!!" Nat rushed off to finish getting ready and Kat left with music in hand to find the accompanist. She checked the music and breathed a sigh of relief, at least it was something she had sung before. She went into the nave of the church and sat down at the piano, plucking out notes , not seeing Jay standing in the doorway watching .

At last my love has come along

My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah

At last the skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up clover the night I looked at you

She hadn't sung in front of people in a very long time, and she could tell the nerves were starting to build. That was until she heard a noise coming from the doorway and she glanced over to see Jay. She felt her face turn red . "How long have you been standing there?"

He walked over to her slowly. "Long enough to find out you have a hidden talent. That was beautiful Kat." He stood in front of her at the piano. "Nat asked you to sing?"

She nodded and looked down at the keys. "Their wedding singer got sick apparently. She asked for a favor, and I couldn't tell her no."

"Well don't stop on my account." He grinned at her "Please, continue."

She took a breath and finished the song.

I found a dream, that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to press my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Oh yeah yeah

You smiled, you smiled

Oh and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine...

At Last

Jay pulled her up off the piano bench and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You are truly something special Kat." He leaned down and placed his lips over hers, hesitating only for a moment before leaning in and completely capturing her mouth with his. They were breathless when they pulled apart. Jay knew if he didn't slow things down they wouldn't make it to the wedding, so he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, trying to even his breathing. "I'm glad you made your way into my life. I'm just sorry for the circumstances. "

She squeezed his torso, laying her head against his chest. "I'm not. Yeah it sucked, the fire, the shooting. But if they hadn't happened I would have never met any of you all. I'm the luckiest girl in the world." She pulled away from him and stared into his eyes. "Thank you for being so amazing Jay Halstead. I'm truly honored to call you my friend." She could feel a tear trying to work it's way loose.

He sensed it and pulled her close again . "Maybe we can work on calling each other something besides friends ?" he could feel her giggle and smiled to himself. "I gotta get back to Will, the guests should be here soon. You good?" he moved so he could see her face.

She nodded "I'll be fine. Go, head back to that nervous brother of yours." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

He didn't want to let her go. Jay was surprised how hard he fell for her in such a short period of time. He almost felt bad for Antonio , knowing how badly he screwed up , but then thought better about it. No, this woman was supposed to be in his life. He would make sure she stayed there. He finally let go and walked away, fighting the urge to sweep her off her feet and take her home, skipping the whole wedding all together .

The wedding guests filed in shortly after. She made her rounds, trying to keep her mind off what was about to happen. The music started and she began her song, looking out into the congregation. She fought back tears when she saw Hank sneak in at the last moment. She tried to ignore the surprised looks on the guests faces, and sang out above their heads. She spied Jay walk up the aisle with Kim, and he gave her a big smile. She finished her song and went to her spot in the pew when the bridal March started.

Kat stopped fighting the tears when she saw Natalie walk up the aisle. The woman was breathtaking, She hoped some day she would be that woman, walking up the aisle , looking at the man she would spend the rest of her life with. She stole a glance at Jay, and locked eyes with him. Red faced she ducked her head, wondering what he was thinking .

The ceremony was beautiful . There wasn't a dry eye in the church when the couple was done exchanging their vows. Kat stayed behind after the congregation filed out, sitting alone with her thoughts. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Antonio standing there.

Wiping tears away she nodded at him. "I didn't see you come in." She didn't mean to be short with him, but she was tired of hiding her disappointment in how he treated her.

His eyes were sad. "Can we talk?" He knew he screwed up, and before she was gone out of his grasp completely he wanted to clear the air.

"Sure, but not here. I'll call you." She stood, trying to keep her emotions in check. She headed to the back of the church, running into Jay in the process.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her close , leaning down to whisper in her ear. "You sounded amazing Kat. Will and Nat can't stop talking about it. Herrmann said something about hiring you at Molly's." He pulled back and saw the sad look in her eyes, then caught Antonio's eye. "Did he say something to you ? I can go talk to him if you want." Jay fell into the protective role pretty easily.

Kat shook her head and put her hands on either side of his face, turning it to look at her. "Nope. Let's go enjoy ourselves . I'm ready for a drink, how about you?" she smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He nodded and smiled back at her, leading her off to the reception.