Blowing out a breath, Lulu paused before knocking on the hotel door. This was the meeting she had dreaded the most. There was a better than average chance Steven was standing in the room right now. Last she heard he was walking Elizabeth down the aisle. Georgie was there. He certainly wasn't hanging out with Lucky, Patrick, and Cruz. It wasn't that far out there to think he would be with his family right now. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him anymore discomfort. Not to mention she hadn't really talked with Elizabeth since she remembered her role in the accident. She had every reason to not want her within ninety miles of the wedding. But she had promised Lucky she would do him this one favor. After all the strings he helped pull, this was the least she could do.

"Lucky, I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. It's bad luck to see the bride..." She opened the door mid-sentence and let the words die on her lips. "Lulu?"

"Hi Robin."

"What? When? How long?" Robin blurted, stepping back.

"Just for today. I stopped at Lucky's. You'll be pleased to know they are awake and moving. And I brought a chaperone as my plus one."

"A chaperone?" Robin looked past Lulu and spotted the plus one immediately. She was standing at least twenty feet away. "Can you come in without her?"

"Only if I want to go straight back to the center and miss the wedding. She's here to make sure I don't go running off to score."

"Then I suppose you can both come in. Maybe you can convince your soon-to-be-sister-in-law to sit still long enough to let my mother work on her hair."

"I don't know about good I'll do but I'm willing to try." Lulu smiled sheepishly as she walked into the room.

Anna ignored Elizabeth's protests and added another bobby pin. "Robin, get my gun."

"She's kidding." Robin promised, noticing the way the chaperone's eyes had widened at the implication.

"And you wonder why everyone...?" Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she recognized the young woman in the mirror. "Oh my God. Lulu?"

"Hi. Hopefully still a bridesmaid reporting for duty a little late."

"Wow. I thought you were at the center...I didn't realize you were going to make it. I mean....wow I'm babbling. Of course you're still a bridesmaid. Does your brother know you're here or will we have to pick him off the ground at the altar?"

"He knows. I stopped by there first. I was hoping to avoid the whole fainting thing for your sake."

"Thanks for that." Elizabeth smiled.

"Any time. And I come bearing gifts." Making her way over to where Elizabeth sat, Lulu pulled an envelope out of her purse. "I was instructed to give this to you and only you."

"What is it?" Elizabeth questioned as she reached up to take the offering from Lulu's hand.

"I have no idea and my brother put it in two envelopes. So I only got the one open. I don't know if you know this, but he's a little paranoid."

"I found your something blue!" Laura informed them, holding out a silver chain with a blue heart dangling from it.

"Oh Laura. It's beautiful." Elizabeth exclaimed, placing the letter on her lap.

"It belonged to Luke's mother. She gave it to me and I'm giving it to you." Laura explained her brow furrowing. "Is there something going on I don't know about?" Unsure why she felt that something was off, she tilted her head to see who was hiding behind Robin and Anna.

"Just a little last-minute surprise." Elizabeth smiled. "Come on out. You can't hide forever."

"Hi Mom." Lulu took a half step out from behind Anna.

"Lulu?" Laura's jaw dropped and she closed the space between them, enveloping her daughter in her arms.

"Happy to see me?"

"Are you okay?"

"Better. On the way to okay."

"Did you just get here? How long do you get to stay?"

"A few minutes ago. And the ceremony and reception. I had to beg pretty hard to get that much."

"I'll let go in a second." Laura promised, choking on the words.

"I'm sure." Lulu laughed.

Wiping at her eyes, Laura sniffed and stepped back. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing toward the envelope in Elizabeth's lap.

Moving it quickly off her lap, Elizabeth waved her hand. "Just a letter. That's all."

"From Lucky." Robin chimed in. "We should give her some time to read it. Alone." As she added the last word, she hurried everyone out of the room.

"Thank you Robin." Elizabeth called out after her friend.

"No thanks necessary."

Seeing her well-meaning friends and soon-to-be family ushered out of the room, Elizabeth ripped open the envelope.

Cinderella-

I'm writing this after everyone here is asleep. Or passed out. It's hard to tell which is which sometimes. I know I should be tired, and I think I am but I can't sleep. We're getting married tomorrow. Seems impossible to believe I'm actually writing those words. On some level I never really thought I would get married. First there is the whole surviving my family thing. Plus Cameron. We both know what high standards he has.

I should have realized you would be trouble from the first time I heard your name. Which wasn't the parent-teacher conference. If you only knew how often I heard "Miss Elizabeth said this..." and "Miss Elizabeth did that..." all those months, well you'd find your belief that Cameron hating you as ridiculous as I did. Cameron loved you before I even laid eyes on you. Clearly not only does he have high standards, he has excellent taste.

That first night, you made me nervous. Don't laugh. You did. You're beautiful, smart, and already had my kid wrapped around your little finger. You Cinderella are one incredibly intimidating package. You had me making a fool out of myself within seconds and you didn't even know it. In the back of my mind, I knew that if I let you get close, it would be all over.

I was in love with you before we had one date. I don't even care how strange that seems, it's the truth. I didn't realize it then, but I was. Still am. And there is no way I could ever love anyone as much as I love you. Ever.

Even when you drive me crazy I love you. Even when I don't quite understand where you are coming from. Even when you are mad at me for something I completely deserve. I don't know how I made it this long without you in my life. You fit so well, I almost have to remind myself you weren't always there.

And now I'm sounding like a cheesy movie you watch with Robin. I think that might be my cue to stop writing and go to sleep. Go to sleep and dream of how beautiful you'll look when you walk down that aisle towards me. I'm not sure how you'll get this, if I'll even get the nerve to send it over, but know this. Here it is, just hours left until I kiss my single status goodbye as my dad would say and all I can think of is spending my life with you. I love you Cinderella. And I'll see you soon.

Always,

Lucky

*****

That was a close one, Lulu thought as she stepped into the small vestibule of the chapel. Running into Steven at some point today was inevitable but she could at least try to delay that particular meeting as long as possible. At least until after he had some time with his sister. She could hide until it was time to walk down the aisle right? She wasn't completely shirking her responsibilities as bridesmaid if she just hid out and waited for the reverend to say it was time was she?

She remembered Mt. Hebron as being small, which was probably why Lucky had suggested it as the wedding site. There was no way a reporter could sneak in and not stick out like a sore thumb. Between her mother, her aunt, Robin, and Elizabeth, the church had been covered in white roses and blue silk ribbons. It was simple but beautiful. The candles that lined the aisle would be lit shortly before the ceremony began. It would look like something out of the end of a movie, which was probably exactly what Lucky had in mind.

She had missed the figure sitting near the back of the church when she first entered. Tilting her head, she took in the familiar unruly hair, and the slouched posture that she would be willing to bet was leftover from when he first hit his growth spurt. Sliding into the pew next to him, she nudged him with her shoulder. "You're a little early aren't you?"

Cautiously, Evan turned his head and smiled. "I knew there was a reason I keep showing up at these family weddings. Never a dull moment."

"Not in the Spencer world."

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a whisper looking around as if he expected trouble to soon follow.

"Attending a wedding. I hear that's what you do when you get all dressed up."

"Smart-ass. I'm assuming you have a shadow." He hadn't met most of the guests attending, so he didn't see any point in looking for an unfamiliar face.

"Yes. She's by the door to the bridal suite. Apparently she doesn't think I can get in trouble at a church in the middle of the woods."

"She must not know you very well." Evan teased, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. "You could find trouble in a padded cell."

"Don't tell her that. She'll come in here and ruin all this fun."

"Fun and witnesses? I think that's a little counterproductive."

"I seem to remember telling you I don't mind being watched."

"I don't have being skinned alive on my list of goals today." He nodded in Lucky's direction.

"He's so annoyingly happy right now, I bet we could make out in front of him and he wouldn't notice."

"Well I would, but you said you like suspense. At least, that's what your letter entailed." He wasn't sure why he had started the letter thing to begin with. Now, thanks to her groundless fear that he might end correspondence altogether, her letters kept ending the same way: with a lot of unsaid things.

"No. I like to keep you in suspense. I don't do well with the emotion."

Evan reached over and pressed the single button on the top of his beeper. It emitted two long, high-pitched shrieks, both of which he ignored. Seeing her confusion, he lifted the pager and pretended to read the tiny screen, the sound having alerted the other guests. He purposely didn't look up to see if Lucky looked frustrated at him having it with him. He leaned over and whispered, "Count to twenty and meet me in the groom's room. Tell your chaperone that you have to go to the bathroom or something."

"Walk fast."

Evan gave her a fake look of sympathy and hurried down the aisle, clipping his pager to his belt in his haste. Since the chaperone would have no reason to follow him, he proceeded to his intended destination without a moment's hesitation. The only ones who knew he didn't belong in here were a little busy at the moment.

She started counting but only made it to twelve before she made her way toward the groom's room. If her chaperone had questions, she'd use the excuse of needing a private moment with her brother. Why her brother wasn't in the room was an explanation she'd come up with when she had to.

"Anxious?" Evan teased, yanking her into the room and closing the door. With the sunlight pouring in, there was no reason to flip on any lights. His mouth settled on hers before she could answer him and he pressed her against the wall.

"Like I had to twist your arm to meet me." Lulu smiled between kisses.

Their separation had been short by any means so it made little sense for him to need her this badly. But he did. He ran his hands all over her body, familiarizing himself with every soft inch of her, and slipped his tongue between her smirking lips. Tasting her was like pouring gasoline on an open flame and he groaned mindlessly.

"I missed you." She whispered.

"I missed you too. Every beautiful part of you." He replied, his lips falling to her neck.

"You have to come see me soon. I don't think I can survive without this."

"I didn't think I could see you in that place." Evan admitted, nibbling at her ear. "But I don't think I can go without you this long ever again."

"I know I can't." Lulu sighed. "Just kiss me."