Lexi stood outside the bridal suite, listening to the commotion inside. Britta had accidently ripped the hem of her bridesmaids dress and Shirley and Jeff's mother were franticly trying to solve the problem before it was time to go out there. She'd decided to slip out for a few minutes, since things were getting kind of hectic in there.

Despite the chaos in the next room, Lexi was actually enjoying herself. She had finally met the famous study group at the rehearsal dinner the previous night. As Annie predicted, she got along great with Abed and Troy. She'd talked to Abed about the comic she had been working on before her mom died, and he suggested shooting it as a web series if she could turn it into a screenplay. She hadn't worked on the idea for a while, and her conversation with the filmmaker got her creative juices flowing again.

Britta had amused her, particularly when she had too much to drink and improvised a speech that Troy said was even better than the one she gave during Shirley's wedding. Speaking of Shirley, not only did Lexi love the awesome brownies she brought, but the woman ended up telling her a number of stories from when her dad and Annie were in school together. She particularly loved the lost pen debacle (Jeff and in particular Annie both groaned when that one was brought up.) Although as far as pure epicness went, you couldn't go wrong with the paintball wars that happened each year.

She wasn't sure what to make of Pierce just yet. He spent most of the night making inappropriate comments that were at best tasteless, and at worst horribly offensive. And he kept insisting Jeff was actually gay and would just hurt Annie when he finally found himself. He was kind of amusing in a 'can you believe this guy' kind of way. And he did give a sincere toast to the bride and groom to be. So maybe he wasn't all bad.

The next morning the bridesmaids and Annie gathered in the morning to start getting ready. Lexi didn't think it would be fun, since she was the only teenager of all the women. But she ended up having a good time. They watched several wedding comedies while their hair and makeup was done and they got into their dresses. Then they all took a limo to the reception hall.

Now it was just time for the main event to begin.

Lexi was looking forward to the actual wedding. After everything the two of them had gone through, it was time for her dad and Annie to get a happy ending. They were already ecstatic about the pregnancy (Lexi had been asked not to say anything about it just yet), finally getting married would truly have the two of them happy beyond belief.

Things between the three of them had been good since what Lexi would call, 'her weekend with Annie'. The hardest thing had been her dad finding out that she had sneaked out to go clubbing and got roofied. That had been harder than she had anticipated. She had expected to be afraid he'd yell at her when he found out. But instead she mostly felt extremely shameful for taking advantage of his absence like she had. While he was mad at her for what she did, he was far more relieved that nothing had happened to her. In the end he was lenient and only extended her punishment by one additional week, which Lexi had a suspicion was a result of Annie's influence.

In general things had become easier for her since that weekend. She still felt sad at times about her mother, but she no longer felt the need to cope with the pain in a self-destructive manor. Instead she saw that she could channel any pain she had inside into positive creative outlets, like her art work.

And as far as she and Annie went, Lexi knew that the war between them was over. Yes, the two of them still had disagreements. But the animosity she once felt for the woman was no longer there. Lexi saw Annie not as someone who would replace her mother, but rather someone in her life who loved and cared about her. And Lexi was very glad to have that.

"Hey."

Lexi looked over as she saw Cassidy approach her. "Hey yourself. What are you doing here? I don't think guests are supposed to be here." '

"Oh please, after all the rule breaking you've done you're going to lecture me on breaking bad?" The two girls laughed at that one. "That dress does look great on you Lex."

"Thanks. Yours looks good too."

"Oh please, don't lie. This thing was covered in mothballs when I dug it out of my closet." She chuckled before growing a bit more serious. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know you were apprehensive about today."

"I'm happy. I'm actually looking forward to them being married, even though I doubt much will change since they already live together and such. The only thing I don't like about this whole thing is having to have a Moby impersonator as the guy I'm walking down the aisle with. My dad actually had to warn him not to wear a dress today."

Cassidy laughed at that image. "I would have loved to see that. So…what's the story with the Indian groomsman?"

"Abed? I think he's Pakistani, not Indian." Lexi's eyes widened as what Cassidy asked registered. "Wait, are you into him or something?"

"You know me, I like guys who are quiet and thoughtful. And he is pretty cute," she said with a shrug.

"God, Cass, he's older then Annie. And anyway, I think he's taken. He came with some woman with awesome glasses I'd love to have if I needed them. Rachel…something, I didn't catch her last name."

"Okay, first off, you have no right to get on my case about liking a guy a little older than me, considering your dad's about to marry a woman more than ten years his junior. But I'm not one to try and break up two people in a relationship, so I'll just have to find someone else then."

"Good."

The two girls looked around as a bell was suddenly heard. "I think it's starting soon. I better go back to my seat. I'll see you after the ceremony."

"Cassie, wait! You did bring the gift, right?"

"It's in the back seat of my car."

"Good," she said with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Though she had only been to one wedding before, Lexi knew this was one that would always stand out in her mind. The ceremony was very lovely. Annie and Jeff had prepared their own vows, though Jeff's heavily paraphrased several song quotes for his. Lexi had to admit she got a bit emotional when they said their vows, along with when it was time to exchange rings. Just before her dad put the ring on Annie she caught his eye and winked, causing them to almost start laughing right there.

After the ceremony the reception got into full swing. Everyone raved about the food, and the DJ got everyone out of their seats and on the dance floor. Jeff and Annie had their first dance, which was appropriately 'Bout Time' by Louis Armstrong. She, Annie, and most of the other women started a conga line during 'Safety Dance'. Though nothing would top Abed and Troy's interpretive dance performance when 'Mr. Roboto' came on.

Though Lexi was enjoying herself, she was also eager to give her wedding gift to the happy couple. She kept waiting for the right moment to give it. Finally, after Jeff's brother William gave a speech, she figured that was as a good as time as any. She stood up and tapped her glass with a spoon.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Lexi. She swallowed nervously as everyone's attention was on her. "Okay, wasn't expecting to be this nervous. I have something that I'd like to say to the bride and groom.

"As many of you already know, I'm Jeff's daughter. I went to live with my dad and Annie after my mom died, and I wasn't the easiest person to deal with. And that's putting it lightly. I did a lot of stupid things and lashed out at people, in particular my new stepmom. And throughout it all, they stood by me and didn't give up on me. Not everyone would have taken in a complete stranger like they did, let alone put up with one who was as much of a bitch as I was. I'm forever grateful to have met these two amazing people, and I'm glad they've found each other and have made each other so happy. Dad, we may have missed some years together, but we're here now. And I know we will have lots of time to get to know one another. Despite what you may sometimes think, you're a great guy, and I'm glad you're my father. And Annie, you have more patience and kindness inside of you then any brat has a right to expect to be shown. I'm grateful to have you in my life, and to be able to call you family. To the happy couple!" she finished as she raised her glass.

"To the happy couple," everyone cheered in a toast.

Lexi ran over just as Jeff and Annie made their way to her, the three of them meeting in the middle. Lexi hugged her father tightly, and then hugged Annie. "Can you guys come to the parking lot for a minute?" she said softly enough so only they could hear. "There's something I have to give you."

"Sure," Jeff said. He and Annie excused themselves as Lexi got Cassidy's keys before the three of them set off for the parking lot. Once they got to the car Lexi opened the back door and carefully pulled out a large rectangular object wrapped in fabric. "I wanted to do something to try and make up for everything I put you both through. So I talked to my art teacher, and he let me work on this in class instead of on our regular assignment. He said he'd count it as an independent study that shows the love between two people. Anyway, this is my wedding gift to the two of you."

With that she pulled the sheet aside and revealed what was underneath it.

It was Jeff and Annie, immortalized in charcoal. They were standing in a forest in full bloom holding hands, while gazing lovingly into one another's eyes. While the forest was impressive (the trees and grass were incredibly detailed), your attention immediately went to faces of the couple, which were so perfectly recreated they almost resembled a pencil photograph.

Lexi waited nervously as Jeff and Annie stared at the drawing. After several moments Jeff smiled and pulled his daughter into a hug. "It's wonderful Lexi. Thank you."

"It's perfect Lexi. We love it," Annie said warmly as she hugged the two of them.

Lexi hugged them back tightly, grateful for their acceptance of her gift. The drawing was more than just a wedding present. It was her way of showing how important they were to her, and how sorry she was for how she treated the two of them.

A mere three months ago she didn't think anything could ever fill the gaping hole that had formed with her mom's passing. But then she met these two wonderful people, who helped her become whole again. She knew how lucky she was to have them in her life, and was glad to be part of a family that loved and cared for her as much as they did.

The End

Lexi and company will return.