The following morning, Emma and Cat were helping Louise get ready for the wedding. More accurately, Cat was helping, while Emma was sitting in the corner, resting her head on her hand, propping herself up, barely able to open her eyes. She had been staying with Louise, being her Maid of Honour, though she had arranged with Orion to meet up for a little private time at the hotel. She'd always known that it would cut a little into her sleep, and fully expected to be tired, but she had not been prepared for what had happened.
Finding out about the arrangement being made between Centuri and Cassetopeia's father had been a shock to say the least. It had taken a while for them to talk through things, to get a handle on what exactly was going on, but even after that, Emma found it difficult to sleep. More accurately, she hadn't slept at all. All she could think about was the fact that once they had gotten through the wedding, they would have to sort the matter out. She still wasn't entirely sure how they were going to do that.
"Emma?" Cat asked. Emma just looked over to her.
"Yeah, it looks lovely." Emma stated. "Great job Cat."
"Why don't you go and put some coffee on?" Louise asked Cat. "I have a feeling someone needs it."
Cat just dutifully went to start the coffee maker, which Gia often considered a life-line. She went to Emma's side, and put her arm around her.
"You know, it's usually meant to be the bride who can't sleep before the big day." Louise told her. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"I'm just anxious I guess." Emma assured her. "I should be fine once things start."
"You're...you're not having second thoughts about how you feel about...this are you?" Louise asked her, indicating to her suit. It was a second wedding, and while she was dressing up, they really weren't keen on doing the whole fairytale thing again. She was wearing a simple, white dress suit for the occasion, and had allowed Cat to style her hair. Emma looked to her, and shook her head.
"No, it's...it's nothing like that." Emma assured her. "I'm looking forward to it, really I am. You and dad are meant for each other."
"Alright, then if it isn't me, then...perhaps it's about a certain Andresian?" She asked Emma. "Cat and I couldn't sleep, so we sat up for a while. I couldn't help noticing your bed was empty most of the night."
Emma just looked to her, but Louise just smiled.
"I just like to check on you girls. I did the same with Gia most of her life." Louise assured her.
"I did go to see him last night." Emma admitted.
"And I'm guessing it was a late night?" Louise asked. Emma just shrugged.
"Later than it should have been." She replied honestly, her mind straying back to her predicament. "I only intended to go for an hour or so. We just..."
"Hey, I understand, I was your age too once believe it or not." Louise replied. "So, was it a good night?"
"It was definitely memorable." Emma muttered, just as Cat came in with some coffee for them both.
"I put extra sugar in yours." Cat informed Emma.
"That should help." Emma answered. "Thanks Cat."
"Is everything alright?" Louise asked her. Emma couldn't help thinking about the arrangement. She could hardly think of anything else, but when all was said and done, this wasn't her day. It was Louise and Eric's. It wouldn't be fair to burden them with her problem hours before their wedding. By the end of the day, they would be heading off to Madrid on their honeymoon. The last thing Emma wanted was for them to be distracted from their own big day for her problems.
"It was just a late night." Emma assured her. "I should be fine once we get there."
"As long as you're sure." Louise responded.
"Really, I'm just tired." Emma reiterated. "I'll be alright."
Emma could see Louise looking at her, and couldn't help feeling like she wasn't convinced. Most people that knew Emma had told her repeatedly she was a hopeless liar. It seemed to take ages, but eventually, Louise just took a deep breath.
"Well, I guess we just need to get you dressed then." She answered. Emma was relieved. She wasn't sure whether Louise was convinced, or whether she had decided to just let the matter drop for Emma's sake. Either way, it meant she didn't have to bring her drama in and risk ruining their day. "Come on, the driver should be here soon."
"Driver?" Emma asked.
"Well, Kyle." She informed Emma. "What's the point in your dad's company having high-end cars and drivers if we don't get to use them once in a while?"
"So dad's business partner is going to be our chauffeur?" Emma asked. "A little below his pay grade isn't it?"
"I think he wanted an excuse to be part of the day." Louise responded. "Anyway, come on, get dressed! We don't want to be late!"
Back at the hotel, Eric and Gia were in the meeting room, checking on the last-minute details. There were only going to be a handful of guests, so they really didn't need a huge room.
"Does that aisle look straight to you?" Gia asked Eric. He just shook his head.
"Gia, its fine, just like it was fifteen minutes ago." He chuckled. He had opted to make Gia his 'best man' for the occasion, a responsibility she had taken very seriously. She was checking every detail, trying to make sure that everything was perfect for her mother's wedding. Eric couldn't help finding it more than a little amusing. "Would you calm down?"
"It's my job to be nervous, you're not meant to worry about anything!" Gia told him.
"Gia, I'm fine, the new heart is working just fine." He assured her, tapping his chest. "Seriously, you're actually getting me more worked up getting like this. Can you please try to find a way to relax a little?"
Gia just nodded her head, moving aside as someone came by with a planter, putting it down by the podium the registrar would be using to read the ceremony.
"Tell you what, why don't you go and see where Jake is with those programs?" He asked her. "The printer's is only around the corner, he should have been back by now."
"No doubt he's found something shiny to distract him." She said, rolling her eyes as she started to gather up her jacket. "If he's gotten lost, I swear..."
"Easy Gia, he's probably just got held up." Eric told her. "Just go and see if you can help him."
Gia left the room, at which Eric took a seat, pulling out his cell phone.
"Louise?" He asked. "Yes...yes, but that tradition's only for SEEING the bride. How are things there?"
He chuckled as he settled back in his chair.
"Yeah, that's pretty much the story here too." He replied. "It's not too late to elope is it?"
Down in the lobby, Gia arrived to see Jake carrying a large box through the door. She approached him, and from the look on her face, he could see she was stressing out.
"Hey Gia!" He greeted her cheerfully. He knew she was already irritated, so it was already too late to do much about it. It wasn't as though he had anything to lose by needling her further.
"Hey Gia?" She asked. "Is that all you have to say? Where have you been?"
"I've been to the printers for the programs!" Jake told her. "You sent me remember?"
"That was almost an hour ago!" Gia protested.
"It took a while." He replied. Gia just gestured to the box in his hands.
"So what's that?" She asked him.
"It's the programs." He answered. She furrowed her brows.
"That's the programs?" She asked him.
"Yeah, all 110 of them!" He declared. Gia's eyebrows shot up.
"110?" She asked him. "Jake, there are only 11 guests!"
"But this note says..."
"Jake, that's not a zero, it's a full stop!" Gia yelled at him. "Wait, what about the bouquet?"
"Oh...well...I had to leave it." He told her. "You see, the programs cost a lot more than I expected, and I don't have my ATM card."
"You haven't gotten the bouquet?" Gia asked.
"I didn't have any money after paying for all those programmes..."
"YOU BOUGHT 10 TIMES MORE THAN YOU NEEDED!" Gia screamed at him. Just then, Jake smirked, opening the box to show her the programs.
"They have them arranged in boxes so they don't crush the pop-up decorations." Jake told her. "I sent Orion for the bouquet because the florist is the opposite way."
Gia just punched him hard in the shoulder to let out her annoyance. Just then, Orion and Cass came back into the hotel. Orion was carrying the bouquet.
"Speaking of which, here's the happy couple now." Jake teased him. Orion just glared at him. He didn't seem to be amused in the slightest, while Cass seemed to be more embarrassed than anything else. "Sorry, too soon?"
"MUCH too soon!" Orion put down firmly.
"OK, am I missing something?" Gia asked. Orion started to stammer something out, but Gia just grabbed the bouquet and the programs. "You know what? Never mind, there's way too much to do."
As Gia ran off, Orion just glared at Jake.
"Come on, it was..."
"It wasn't funny! We agreed, no one talks to Eric or Louise." He reminded Jake. "There's no reason to cause any problems today. We can head to the reservation and straighten this out ourselves afterwards, but for now, we keep this to ourselves."
"Alright." Jake answered as he gestured towards the meeting rooms. He followed Orion and Cass up the stairs. "Go ahead and ruin all my fun why don't you?"
In another part of the hotel, Noah was working on his computer, while Quinn was getting changed. Tensou was sitting on the desk, taking a look at his work on the computer. Noah let out a groan as he stroked the bridge of his nose.
"Tensou, how many times do I have to tell you I hate people reading over my shoulder?" Noah asked him.
"I'm not, I'm way too short for that." Tensou told him.
"It's an expression." Noah said as he looked to him.
"Would you prefer it if I just accessed the computer wirelessly to check your work?" He asked. Noah just sighed.
"That's not really much better." He responded. "Why are you so interested anyway?"
"Without my duties at the Command Centre, I don't exactly have a whole lot else to do." Tensou reminded him. "I thought maybe I could help..."
"Noah, are you still working?" Quinn asked as she came out of the bathroom.
"Uh...kind of." Noah replied as he shut over his lap top.
"I told you to start getting ready!" She reprimanded him as she got into the room, straightening out her blouse.
"He was working on those glowing crystals." Tensou told her. Noah just glared at him.
"Tattle tale." He grumbled. "I was just going over some readings..."
"Noah, we'll have all the time in the world to check on those readings when we get to the island." Quinn assured him. "Now will you get dressed? I don't want you to be the reason the wedding's late getting started."
"Everyone knows the bride is always late anyway." Noah grumbled.
"Well, that's the brides' prerogative." She replied. "Now get in there and get your tux on!"
As Noah went into the bathroom to get changed, Quinn checked her appearance in the mirror. Tensou fluttered over to her.
"You are bringing me with you aren't you?" He asked. "I love living at Noah's place when he's there, but if you leave me behind with his dad and his Storage Hunters marathons I'll have to trigger my self-destruct."
"Oh, don't worry, we'll take you with us, I promise." Quinn assured him. "Just remember to give us our space when we want a little private time."
"Don't worry; I got the message the last time I missed the tie on the door knob." Tensou told her. "I don't really want to see that again."
"Quinn, can I get a hand in here?" Noah called through. "I can't get this stupid tie to work."
"I'm coming!" She called through, heading into the bathroom.
Outside the hotel, a black Audi pulled up at the front of the hotel. Kyle turned off the engine, turning around in his chair to look at Louise.
"Alright, that's us here." He told them. "I'll just be in the parking lot. Give me a call when you're ready to go."
"Emma, could you go in and check which room we're in?" She asked.
"But we know..."
"Just make sure you know which way we're going." Louise told her. Emma just got out of the car and headed inside, leaving Louise alone with Cat and Kyle. She looked to the young woman, smiling.
"So, how are you feeling?" She asked. "Nervous?"
"I don't know. I'll tell you when my stomach stops churning." She replied. Kyle looked between them.
"Um...isn't this conversation backwards?" He asked.
"If you don't mind Kyle, this is kind of private." Louise answered. Kyle just turned back to the front of the car, raising the partition to the rear. Louise just took Cat's hands in her own. "It's alright, just take some deep breaths."
Cat just nodded and did as she was told. Emma came back, opening the door.
"Alright, I know where we're going." Emma told them. "Are we ready to go?"
Louise just looked to Cat, who nodded to indicate she was alright.
"I guess we are." She answered, getting out of the car.
In the meeting room, the others were just starting to get into their seats, prepared for Louise's arrival. Eric was standing by the podium with Gia, who was fidgeting a lot more than he was. He smiled as he saw her checking her pockets.
"It's in the left pocket, just like it was the last time." He assured her.
"I just wanted to be sure." She told him. They all looked to the back of the room as Cat came in, making her way to the front.
"They're right outside." She told them, taking her seat. "Go on, you can begin."
With that, the registrar started the CD player. Eric smiled as he heard Redbone's 'Come and Get Your Love' playing.
"She is unique." Eric said to the registrar. He just shrugged.
"Last week, I married a couple dressed as Catwoman and Nightwing." He answered as the doors opened and Louise came in with Emma by her side. They all stood up, turning to watch her come up the aisle. As she arrived by the pedestal, the registrar turned off the music and smiled.
"Friends and family, we all know why we're here." He began. "It is a rare thing in life to find the love of a person we truly feel completes us. To be blessed to find that twice in life is the kind of thing that makes me truly believe in miracles. Eric and Louise have come before us today to solidify that love in the eyes of the law, and in the presence of the people they care about the most in the world. I feel honoured to be here to officiate this ceremony."
As Eric turned to Louise, he took her hands gently in his own. He took a deep breath as he looked to her.
"We've both been here before, and we know how fragile life is." He began. "When I lost Eleanor, I was...I was inconsolable. I could never believe I could feel that kind of love for anyone again. I love Emma with all of my heart, and she's my world, but...for so long I've always felt like there was a part of me that was missing, that was empty."
He stepped closer, looking her in the eyes.
"You have been in my life for as long as I can remember. I can't begin to tell you how happy you make me." He told her. "But here, now, in front of everyone that matters to me, I promise to spend every day we have together from now on trying to make you every bit as happy as you've made me. I love you, and I am honoured that you agreed to be my wife."
He slipped the ring onto her finger, at which Louise just looked back to him.
"I tried to think of something clever or insightful to say." Louise began. "I really wish I was good with words, or could think of some beautiful poem but all I can think of to say is, I love you in a way I didn't think was possible."
As she slid the ring onto Eric's finger, the registrar gestured for the party to stand.
"Then by the power invested in me by the state of California, I would like to introduce for the first time, Eric and Louise Goodall." He declared. "You may kiss the bride."
Everyone applauded as the short ceremony concluded. Louise turned to the group, taking the bouquet.
"Alright, we've just got one thing left to do." She told the group. "Ladies, if you'd all gather please."
"What's happening?" Cass asked Orion. "What is she doing?"
"It's a custom on Earth. She's going to throw the bouquet towards the ladies gathered at the wedding." Orion explained to her. "There's a superstition that whoever catches it will be the next to marry."
"This is how they do arrangements on Earth?" Cass asked him. Orion just sighed.
"No, it's just a superstition." He told her. "Just...don't catch the bouquet."
As the girls assembled, Louise took a quick glance over her shoulder, before throwing the flowers overhead. Although she was distracted by her own issues, and didn't really make much of an effort to catch it, Emma found herself shoved a little roughly aside. She could almost swear that Cat had pulled her arm, stopping her getting to it. Gia caught the bouquet, raising some cheers from the others.
"Sorry Emma." She said apologetically. "I...guess I'm kind of a klutz."
"Well, we all knew that anyway." Gia teased her. "Anyway, come on, you two have a honeymoon to get to!"
As they started to file out of the room, while Troy and Noah covered the happy couple in confetti, Louise just cast a knowing smile back at Cat, who nodded in appreciation. This part of the plan had gone without a hitch. Now, all she needed to do was find a time to ask Gia the most important question of her life.