The final wedding!

To the sounds of the music, Taylor walked into the room. Ridge's heart began to pound when he caught sight of her. Never had she seemed more beautiful to him. As she stood in front of him, he grabbed her by the hands. They looked deep into each other's eyes and beamed at each other. The minister gave a moving speech about their love and their two souls, who even though they had been separated for a long time were always connected and had finally found each other again. Afterwards, Steffy and Thomas each recited a poem wishing their parents the best of luck for their life together. Steffy played the recording of Phoebe's song. Emotionally, they all listened to her singing and all felt Phoebe's presence as if she were with them.

Ridge and Taylor had each written personal wedding vows. Ridge was the first to take the floor.

"Taylor, from the first day we met, you have always given me support and encouragement. No matter what challenges I had to face in my life, you were always there and gave me strength and some hurdles I may have not overcome without you. You always offered me a home, a place full of warmth, love and security and you gave me the most beautiful gift ever; our three wonderful children. I know I often didn't appreciate this home and I had to lose it first to realize its true value. I am very happy that fate has brought us back together and has given us a new chance. I promise you from now on I will honor and protect our love. I want to be a home for you, where you feel safe and secure and I want to enjoy every day with you as long as I live."

Taylor was deeply touched by these loving words. A few tears rolled down her cheek. She had to collect herself first before she could speak.

"Ridge, we have known each other for so many years. We've been through a lot together, shared wonderful moments which I will keep forever in my heart and I don't wanna miss any of those moments. Together we have experienced the incredible luck of having three children in whom our love will live on. This love is a part of me that will never fade away. I love you, I have always loved you and I always will. All the time I wanted you to be happy and from now on I want to share this happiness with you. You know you can always rely on me. I promise you I will always be there for you and I will always stand by your side. I will go every way with you as long as I live."

After the personal words, Ridge and Taylor repeated the official wedding formula and both vowed to love, honor and respect each other until death.

Now it was time to exchange the rings. At that moment, a bright ray of sunlight shined in the room and for a moment, everyone was blinded. Steffy and Thomas stepped forward, each carrying a small velvet pillow in their hands with the rings. Ridge was the first one, slipping both the engagement ring and the new wedding band onto Taylor's finger. Then it was up to her to put the new ring on his finger. They both grasped hands and beamed into each other's eyes

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride!" As if he had just waited for this moment, Ridge grabbed her and they sank into a long loving kiss. They forgot everything around them. The pianist began to play again. Thomas and Steffy started to clap and cheer. They clapped so loudly that you could easily believe there were twenty other people in the room. After Taylor and Ridge finally broke away from each other, they stepped up to their parents and hugged them. Just as they were about to leave the room, the sunbeam disappeared. For a moment, they all looked toward the window. All four Forresters had the same thought. Phoebe! She was somewhere up there right now, witnessing this wonderful moment. Surely she was thrilled to finally see her parents reunited.

Full of pride, Ridge hooked up his newlywed wife and led her out of the room. Outside they were greeted by the hotel manager with several other heads of the hotel department. A waitress handed each a glass of champagne. (Ridge had insisted that all drinks served during the wedding should be alcohol-free). Everyone toasted the happy couple. Ridge wrapped his arms around Taylor and the two smiled at each other and kissed over and over again.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Forrester, we're always happy to host a wedding, especially for a couple where the love is as evident as yours." The photographer joined in the small talk.

"Excuse me, but the light outside in the park is excellent right now. If the gentlemen would like some outdoor shots, now would be the best time." Taylor and Ridge thought this was a wonderful idea and along with Steffy and Thomas, they joined the photographer and headed outside. He took plenty of time for them and took some excellent pictures, as well as of the happy couple and of the entire family. As he walked back into the house, he had the idea to ask if he could use some of the photos as advertising. Steffy checked her watch.

"I think we should go back inside, the reception is about to start. I'm sure your guests are already there." Taylor was about to follow her children, but Ridge held her back. He waved Steffy and Thomas off.

"You guys go ahead and get acquainted with everyone. We'll be right behind you." They gave each other a significant look and rolled their eyes.

"But hurry up! It's your wedding, don't forget that!" As soon as they disappeared, Ridge hugged his bride. "Finally I have you all to myself!" They sank into a deep kiss. Taylor beamed at him.

"I love you! I'm so happy! It's the best day of my life!"

"It's the best day of our life!" Taylor's hand traveled to her neck.

"And the necklace is a dream. It's the most beautiful gift I've ever received."

"I just wanted to get you something really special. You know it's not my strong suit to talk about my feelings. With this necklace, I wanted to show you how much I love you!" Again their lips met. He pulled her even closer to him. "Do you think someone will notice it if we sneak away quietly?" Taylor chuckled.

"I don't know, I mean after all it's a wedding and we're the bride and groom. It might be noticeable to one or two if we don't show up." Ridge grumbled, she tickled him under the chin.

"Now don't be so grumpy, Ridge. I know exactly how much you like to party and be the center of attention!" She pulled him with her toward the hotel.

"Whose idea was it again to host such a big celebration?" Taylor gave him a furtive look. "If I remember correctly, it was your idea. You wanted a real party since this is our last wedding." "You know what I don't like about you at all?"

"What?"

"Your good memory and that you're always right!"

"Oh, I'm really sorry about that! You're really beaten with me."

When Taylor and Ridge stepped in, they were greeted with flowers and confetti. Everyone rushed up to congratulate them. As requested, everyone had a generous check for the orphanage with them, they were all collected in a large piggy bank. Nevertheless, they also received some gifts from one or the other. The most beautiful gift they got from their friends. It was a beautiful oil portrait of them, in the background you could see the skyline of San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge at night. Rosa and Marc presented it.

"So you'll never forget the city where it all began." Susan and the others had kept their promise and didn't prepare any funny wedding games or anything else. However, they insisted on the wedding dance. Susan, Rosa and Stacy had sat down one afternoon and thought about what music they could dance to. Stacy had remembered, there had been some references to Cinderella at the proposal. So she suggested the theme song from that movie. They listened to the song again and knew it was just the perfect one. The song was about, if you believe and have faith, your dreams will come true. This song fit perfectly with their love story.

After a sign from Susan, Steven stepped forward and announced, it was time for the wedding dance. All the guests formed a circle. Susan started the music and to the song. 'A dream is a wish your heart makes' Taylor and Ridge twirled around.

Thomas and Steffy watched their parents dance emotionally. Both had tears in their eyes. The song had a great meaning for them too, because with their parents' wedding a dream came true for them as well. Thomas put his arm around his sister.

"It's a wonderful sight, isn't it?"

"Yes, if I wouldn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. I was trembling until the last moment, something could go wrong."

"I felt the same way! But look at them. They're married and happy, it's just perfect! By the way, I think now is the right time for, you know..."

"Oh yeah, right!" After one last look at their parents, the two secretly slipped out the room.

After the reception, they had only a short time to freshen up and then it was time to go to dinner. Ridge had booked one of the small private dining rooms for tonight. The wedding menu, which Taylor and Ridge had chosen, was excellent.

"The food is to die for, just delicious!" commented Thomas "Actually, couldn't you guys get married here more often?" His parents gave each other a meaningful glance.

"Well, I think the next wedding will be one of yours." his mother replied. Steffy and Thomas looked at her in bewilderment. Thomas was the first to regain his speech.

"Oh, I'm happy to let Steffy go first there. Ladies first!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? After all, you're the older one, so I guess you're first!"

"I see we can wait a long time for our grandchildren!" Ridge gave a feigned sigh.

After the sorbet, the musicians came to play for them. Ridge asked Taylor to dance. After a while, Ridge turned to Steffy while Taylor danced with her son. During the next course, the two told their children anecdotes from their previous weddings.

"So which of your weddings was the most beautiful?" wanted Steffy to know. The two pondered, finally Ridge said.

"I think each of our weddings had something wonderful and unique."

"I agree. Whereas today was very magical and hard to beat!" "Yes, and this time not the slightest bit went wrong, in fact it's quite eerie."

"Indeed, Steffy is right, a Forrester wedding without disasters is really weird!"

"We told you guys everything was going to go smoothly today. I wasn't worried at all."

"Come on..." Ridge stared at his wife skeptically. "...you were shaking all the time during the ceremony. I could tell."

"That's not true at all!" Taylor blushed. Ridge was right, of course, but she had hoped she had covered it up quite well. Ridge pulled her to him.

"Oh yes!" He gave her a peek on the tip of her nose and kissed her. Thomas and Steffy looked away, embarrassed. "Hey guys you better get used to that sight."

"I knew there'd be a catch!" retorted Thomas dryly. They continued their chat. Taylor mentioned the story how Thomas had objected at their second wedding.

"What?" He didn't want to believe her at first.

"Your mother is right. You were there for the ceremony, and at the moment when the minister asked if anyone objects to this marriage, you made yourself pretty clear."

"Thomas! How could you?" his sister teased him

"I didn't object, I just gave my consent. You all just didn't understand me!" he explained defiantly

"Well, in any case, nothing can happen today anymore. The wedding is practically over!"

"Well not quite yet!" Ridge winked at Taylor. "There's still one more thing to go!" They kissed.

"That's right, and this time it won't be a family night with pizza and videos!"

"Huh?" Thomas and Steffy looked at her, dumbfounded.

"When you guys were little, we took you on a vacation to Saint Thomas and there your dad and I renewed our wedding vows and just as we got back to the hotel, you guys showed up at our door eager to have a family night with pizza and cartoons." Thomas and Steff laughed terribly. The idea was too funny.

"Oh if you guys want, we can repeat this again tonight?" suggested Thomas, laughing.

"Definitely not!" blurted Ridge. "You were little and cuddly then, but today I have no problem throwing you out the door!"

"And I'll help your father!"

"So much for unconditional parental love!"

They had just finished dessert when a hotel employee came and turned to Steffy and Thomas. They immediately stood up.

"Mom! Dad! We have another surprise for you, so if you would please follow us!" They escorted their parents outside to a small balcony. Shortly after, a magnificent fireworks display went off. Many of the other guests also rushed to the windows to watch the show. Taylor and Ridge were quite touched by this attention. After the last rockets had burned out, they thanked their kids with a warm hug. Back inside, they said good night. While they made their way to their suite, Thomas and Steffy went to the hotel club to party some more.

Taylor and Ridge got to their suite, she was about to step inside but he forcefully held her back.

"Not so fast Doc! I know we broke a lot of traditions at this wedding and I also know that you like to lead the way in our relationship, but on this one point, let's stay true to tradition!" He lifted her into his arms. Taylor chuckled and he carried her up to the bedroom and set her down. When they turned on the light, their mouths dropped open in amazement. The entire room was littered with red balloon hearts, and the bed had practically disappeared altogether under roses and balloons. Taylor grinned.

"Those kids!"

"Yeah, always good for a surprise!" He led her to the bed, as careful as they were, they couldn't avoid trampleting a balloon or two. Once at the bed, they first removed all the balloons that were on it. They tossed them to each other.

"Look a bed full of roses!" gushed Taylor dreamily. "Just like our marriage is going to be!" He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The two of them dropped onto the bed.

*Bang! Bang! Poof! Bang!*

Startled, the two pulled up. Apparently Steffy and Thomas had hidden some balloons under the mattress. The two barely dared to move. Ridge patted down the mattress, popping two more balloons. He also found some hidden under the pillows.

"Those kids! If I get my hands on those two, I'll ground them for the rest of their life!" Taylor laughed and pulled him closer.

"I think we can certainly come up with something better than that!" She grinned mischievously and whispered something in his ear.

"You're really bad!"

"Well who do you think our kids got that from! By the way, do you think we're safe now?"

"I think so, as long as we stay in bed."

They made themself comfortable. He leaned over her, stroking her face.

"I love you so much Doc!"

"I love you too Ridge!" Tenderly she pulled him to her and their lips locked in a deep intimate kiss. Their hands wandered longingly over each other's bodies. They were completely indulged in their love and passion.

Taylor blinked sleepily and opened her eyes. She looked directly into her husband's face.

"Good morning, Mrs. Forrester."

"Good morning, how long have you been watching me?"

"No idea but do you know that you look adorable when you sleep!" Taylor stretched and snuggled up to him.

"Only when I'm asleep?" He took her in his arms and kissed her lovingly.

"No, not only, but especially when you sleep."

Now that Taylor was awake, Ridge ordered their wedding breakfast from the room service, which was brought to them a short time later. They got comfortable in bed and even though it was already noon, they enjoyed their breakfast. Ridge fed Taylor with some scrambled eggs.

"Go ahead and eat my love, you need your energy."

"Oh yeah, for what?" He pulled her to him, his lips devouring hers passionately, playing with her hair. Taylor returned his kisses at first, but then she gently stopped him. "As much as I'd like to lie here with you all day, we have a date with Thomas and Steffy."

"Oh, that's right! I hadn't thought of that at all now."

"Ridge! How could you forget about your own kids?"

"You're the one to blame, when I'm with you I forget everything around me."

"Oh, now you're blaming me?!" She punched him in the ribs.

"Well, sure! Who else should I blame? What's the point of having a wife if not for that?"

"Oh, so that's why you married me?"

"That and a lot more!" He laid her on her back, leaned over and kissed her. His lips traveled down her neck to her breast. Taylor gave herself completely to his caresses. After they catched their breath, they had to hurry to be reasonably on time. Ridge rose from the bed. "I'm going to shower!"

"No, let me go first." Taylor climbed out of bed at lightning speed. They both dashed toward the bathroom, the balloons flew through the room. They arrived at the door at the same time.

"Now what?"

"I think I know a solution to our problem." Taylor whispered something in Ridge's ear. He chuckled and pushed her inside with him.

Steffy and Thomas were already waiting impatiently at the miniature golf course when their parents showed up, considerably late.

"Finally, we thought you had totally forgotten about us!" greeted Steffy her parents.

"Not at all! How could we ever forget our adorable kids..." Taylor took them both in her arms, "we just..." she squinted mischievously at Ridge.

"...had a very cozy breakfast and forgot the time." he added, winking at Taylor. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Please Dad, no more details." They spent a fun afternoon playing miniature golf. Thomas and Steffy did their best to ignore their parents' flirting and cooing. As nice as it was to see the two reunited, this openly displayed happiness was a little too much. After dinner, a magic show took place in the hotel, they were invited as guests of honor and were allowed to take a seat in the front row. They adored the show very much, it was entertaining and varied. Afterwards they sat together for a long time. It got late until everyone finally retired to their rooms.

Ring! Ring! Steffy was startled out of her sleep. Confused, she looked around. The phone on the nightstand kept ringing. She turned on the light. It was in the middle of the night. Who was calling her at this hour? Sleepily, she finally picked up the phone.

"Yes? Who is it?" she asked, very annoyed. Then a computer voice sounded in her ear.

"This is the automatic wake-up service of the Ritz Carlton Hotel! We wish you a pleasant day!"

"Day? It's in the middle of the night!" Angrily, she slammed the receiver down. Disapprovingly, she shook her head. There really shouldn't be anyone working at the front desk of a hotel who wasn't able to give the correct room number into the system. Steffy suspected some of the other guests had ordered the wake-up call and there had probably been a mix-up. As she snuggled back into bed, she was thinking about the fact that someone was now waiting for the call and would probably oversleep. She had just dozed off again.

Ring! Ring! The phone rang again. Steffy almost fell out of bed in shock this time. When she picked up, it was the computer voice again. Even angrier than before, Steffy hung up again.

"Those idiots! Well I'll tell them something tomorrow!" But when the phone rang again half an hour later, Steffy suddenly had a completely different suspicion. To avoid any further disturbance, this time she unplugged the cord from the phone.

"So now it's finally peace!"

Grumpily, she got up the next morning and got ready. Morning was not her time of the day, especially when she had slept so badly like last night. She packed her bags. Thomas and she would fly back to Los Angeles in a couple of hours. As she walked through the lobby, she spotted her brother and stormed toward him in a huff. He had also caught sight of her and came toward her no less angrily. At the same time they began to yell at each other.

"I suppose you think you're very funny, terrorizing me with calls in the middle of the night. I thought you'd finally gotten over that age!"/ "How dare you bother me all night long? Don't you have any other hobbies or anything else that satisfies you!" They stared at each other in confusion.

"Why are you yelling at me? I have every reason to be mad at you!"

"Excuse me? I didn't do anything. You're the one who made sure my phone rang all night." Thomas mimicked the computer voice. "This is the automatic wake-up service for the Ritz Carlton Hotel. We wish you a pleasant day! Very funny indeed!" Steffy looked at her brother in surprise.

"Wait a minute? Your phone kept going off tonight too? Just like mine!" Thomas gazed at his sister, stunned. That's when they heard their parents' cheerful voices.

"Good morning, kids! Isn't it a wonderful day? Did you guys sleep as well as we did?" Taylor turned to her daughter.

"Steffy, you look a little tired!?"

"And you too, my son." added Ridge. Steffy and Thomas looked from their father to their mother and back to their father. Grins were literally written all over the faces.

"That was you? Oh, you guys are soo mean!"

"Why would you do such a terrible thing to your own children! What did we do to deserve this?"

"You know the movie 'The Empire Strikes Back'?"