It was the morning of the wedding. While Mike and Emily had gotten a chance to sleep (though Mike had mostly just passed out as a result of his spur of the moment bachelor party), the Samurai had been up all night getting the house and the barn ready for the big event. With about an hour of sleep under their belt, and a lot of caffeine in their veins, they were as ready as they could be for the big day.
Mike was allowed to sleep in. Though it would take him longer than usual to look nice for his wedding, it still wouldn't take him even a fraction of the time it would take Emily. She needed to be up, showered, her hair needed to be done, her make-up needed to be applied, she needed to be happy with both. Then she needed to get her dress on, last-minute adjustments needed to be made. Hair and make-up needed to be fixed up… it was a lot of work.
And Mia and Serena were ready to get started. Even if something went wrong, they would have her ready to go down the aisle on time, if not a little early. There was just one thing standing in their way.
"You wake her up," Mia shoved Serena towards Emily's bed. Serena shook her head and quickly stepped back.
"I can't wake that!" Serena pointed to Emily's sleeping form, "I wake her up and then I send her to her wedding, where she forever abandons me for… Michael…"
"I thought you were okay with this," Mia laughed.
"I am… it's just… Michael… You wake her up."
"No way. I can't send her off. I'm having flashbacks too."
"Of what, two years ago?" Serena rolled her eyes. "You wake her up, I'll get started on breakfast…"
"No way," Mia pushed Serena towards the bed again, "You wake her up. You're her sister."
"You're her sister by choice."
"You're maid of honour. It's your job to take care of the bride."
"Aha, take care," Serena smirked, "If Emily's sleeping, she obviously still needs the rest. Taking care of her would mean giving her what she needs…"
"Guys…"
"She needs to start getting ready for her wedding," Mia said, "I'm just marrying them. I get paid whether she turns up or not."
"No one's paying you."
"Guys…"
"If no one's paying me, what am I doing here?"
"You're the wedding planner. You have to be here."
"Not if I'm not getting paid."
"Why would you get paid? You're one of us. Now wake her up."
"Guys… I am awake…"
"Shh, Em, go back to sleep," Serena waved her off. Emily sighed, looked down at Storm and shook her head. She got out of bed and started to head downstairs, hoping Mike was still sleeping. It was hard not running into him when they were both in the same house, but so far they had managed.
"C'mon flower pup. I guess I'm making my own breakfast this morning. Unless you know how to make chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes?"
-Samurai-
Because Mike could sleep in a little longer, the boys weren't needed to help him get ready just yet, and were making sure everything in the barn still looked good. Mike had been out to help them with the flowers for a bit before he went to bed, being the only one who could create flowers in an instant. James, Ji, Jayden, Antonio, Kevin, and even Terran, were making sure the flowers were still in place and the stalls, as well as the rest of the barn, were cleaned.
James yawned loudly, adjusting the chairs for the Samurai to sit on while Mia married Mike and Emily.
"Is everything perfect now?" he looked to Kevin, who seemed surprised all the final decisions were falling on his shoulders.
"It's my fiancé who is the wedding freak, not me," he shook his head, "I'm as clueless as the rest of you."
"Well, we have an aisle," Antonio walked down between the two rows of chairs, and then he stood beneath the arch, where Mike and Emily would stand as Mia married them. Appropriately, the arch was decorated in yellow flowers. Most of the flowers in the barn were yellow, but there were some of every colour to be found, as Emily had insisted everyone be a part of the wedding in every way. "Mike and Emily will stand here. We'll watch from the seats… I don't think we'll need much more."
"How will Terran get down the aisle?" Jayden asked, holding the little boy in his arms. Fortunately, Terran could walk without aid, and would make it down the aisle, but it wouldn't be without distractions. He was too young to understand what was going on and what was being asked of him. However, Mike insisted he needed to be a part of the wedding, and it was up to his best man Kevin, and the rest of his team to figure out how to make it happen.
Kevin stroked his chin, "We're going to need to come up with something… shiny?"
"Shiny?" James asked.
"Yeah, like… you know, wave it in front of him, have him walk to us to get it…"
"That was our plan to get Storm down the aisle," James shook his head, took Terran into his own arms and hugged his son, "I'm insulted you think the plan for the dog will work on my son."
"He's eight months old. You should be proud he'll be walking down the aisle," Antonio shrugged. He took Terran, set him on the floor and then walked away from him. Terran started to look around the barn in awe, clearly already distracted. He started to walk towards one of the horse's stalls, to see what was in there. Then he heard a strange noise. He turned around and saw his uncle waving something shiny his way.
Antonio dangled his watch and smirked as Terran started to make his way over, interested in the shiny object. Then, from outside, one of the horses whinnied. Startled, Terran stopped right in his tracks, fell on his butt and started to scream loudly. James picked him up to soothe him and glared at Antonio.
"Not going to work."
"Alright, we'll come up with something," Antonio promised.
Kevin looked at his own watch and sighed at the time, "You guys better before I get back. I've got to pick up the rings."
"Does Emily's dress have sparkles?" Antonio looked to Ji. As the man who would walk Emily down the aisle, he was the only one allowed to visit Emily before the wedding itself.
"Why?"
"Sparkles are shiny. Terran might naturally be drawn to her dress."
"Problem is, she'll be behind him," Jayden reminded his boyfriend, "We're lucky Terran's walking. I doubt we're going to be lucky enough to watch him walk down the aisle backwards."
"Our only solution might be to walk him down the aisle ourselves," Ji suggested.
"That's not as cute," Antonio shook his head. He took Terran back from James, "I'll make sure you're walking down that aisle, kid. You're going to steal the show."
"Uh, Antonio…"
Jayden pulled James back and shook his head, "Don't bother…"
-Samurai-
With Emily out of bed, and with breakfast in her stomach, it was time for her to start getting ready. While she was in the shower getting washed up, Mia and Serena were setting up her room so that it would be easier getting her dressed, and they wouldn't have to run around like maniacs.
As Mia set the dress gently on the bed, admiring the work her symbol power had created, Serena couldn't stop staring at her Samuraizer. This wedding was just a small affair, but there was a thought in the back of her mind that she couldn't ignore. What about the parents? They deserved to be here.
"Mia, do you mind if I step out to check up on the guys for just a second?"
"Go for it," Mia answered. "Just don't take too long. She's bound to finish that shower soon."
Serena nodded her head and stepped out of the bedroom, slowly making her way down to the main floor, then outside, then over to the barn. She stepped into what would be the place where her little sister would have her wedding and gasped. It was even more beautiful than the night before.
"Seriously, you guys are amazing. Emily's going to love this."
"It's still got that country feel for Emily, and flowers everywhere for Mike," James smiled. "Personally, I think it's perfect."
"I think you're right," Serena looked around in awe one more time before clearing her head and gathering Ji, Jayden, and James around. She didn't know where Antonio was, and assumed Kevin was taking care of his responsibilities as best man. "Alright… Mia's kind of giving Mike and Emily a kick ass gift by making this wedding legal."
"Yeah, kind of hard to top," Jayden nodded his head.
"Especially when we have… no gifts…" Ji added with a sigh. That's when Serena smirked.
"We could get them a gift. The wedding's not until tonight. It's a long drive up, but their parents can make it in time."
"Their parents?" Ji asked a little nervously. If Jack turned up, his role to walk Emily down the aisle would be ripped away from him. Serena smiled sympathetically and touched his arm.
"You know, Emily's got two arms, right? She can be escorted on both sides. Her real father, and her Samurai father can give her away."
"Both of her worlds," Jayden said.
The smile returned to Ji's face and he nodded, "Call them up."
"One problem," Serena sighed, "If they come up, we've got to go. After the wedding, of course, but we're pushing our luck with the Nighlok. If we stay with our parents for too long, we could be putting them in danger."
"You guys can spend the next few days at my house," James offered up without hesitation. "The Shiba House should be finished soon, and I think I've reached my danger max anyways. The only way I could be in anymore danger was if one of you actually planned on killing me."
"I might," Serena muttered and James looked at her, shocked. Then he saw she was looking past him, and didn't seem very happy, "James, why is my son being led around by a rope?"
James turned around furiously, "ANTONIO! No treating my son like a dog!"
Serena looked to Ji and Jayden, "Deal with it."
-Samurai-
Inside the house, Emily was done with her shower and got back into her pyjamas while Mia started on her hair. Emily wasn't sure what she wanted done exactly, but Mia seemed to have a vision. Trusting her pink sister wouldn't make her look like an idiot, she let Mia work her magic while her thoughts strayed. She couldn't believe she was getting married. She couldn't believe she was getting married first. Growing up, before Serena's illness, she was sure Serena would be married long before she would. Then, after meeting Mia, she was sure the pink Ranger would get her turn first. Mia had gotten a boyfriend before Emily, she had gotten engaged before Emily… she had done everything before Emily except for this.
Butterflies started to flutter in her stomach. Her hands started to shake. She gripped the seat of her chair, trying to control the trembling, but it was too late, Mia had already seen her. She put the blow dryer down and knelt before Emily.
"It's a big step," she smiled.
"I've never been a first before," Emily whispered. "Now I'm the first to get married? Married!"
"Nothing's going to be different," Mia promised her, "You and Mike will be lucky enough to ease into marriage. Once this is done, we're going back home to our regular life, where the two of you live together anyways."
"Married!"
"It's scary, Emy," Mia pulled her in for a comforting hug, "but none of us would let this happen if we thought, for a second, it was a bad idea."
"Is everything okay?" Serena was back from making her phone call and could see the bride preparations had been put on a temporary hold. "Cold feet, Emily?"
"Do you think this is a good idea?"
Serena looked at her baby sister. This was it. She had total control. She could see her sister was nervous, and she could stop the wedding now by planting a seed of doubt in her mind. She could take Emily away from Mike and keep her to herself, just like when they were younger.
"Mike's a great man," Serena smiled and kissed Emily's forehead, "You picked a very good one, Emily. Don't you dare let him go."
The nerves disappeared almost instantly. Knowing she had her sister's support, Emily felt so much better about the wedding. Though Serena had been misguided in the past, one thing was obvious: she always wanted what was best for Emily.
Serena picked up the blow dryer, "Close your eyes, Emy, and don't peek until we're done."
