Author's Note: OMG WEDDING DAY :D It's the wedding day, wedding day! (Yes, I skipped over that ten days. I mean, the bombs been found, Mello's gone. All that's left is the wedding!) You guys excited? The story is coming to a close! Will we have a 'Happily Ever After'? Or am I just going to have everyone die like in Macbeth ;P ...Oh, yeah, sorry. If you didn't know yet, EVERYONE freaking dies at the end of Macbeth :)

Also, I realized after all your guys' music suggestions, that I listen to really mainstream stuff ha-ha ;P

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or anything remotely associated with it.

August 24, 2024. 12:00 PM... 1 Hour Left...

I hadn't seen Mello. I hadn't seen Mello or Matt in ten days. They had both been MIA since the bomb had been recovered.

It was exactly what I had been betting on, but admittedly, I had been hoping for a little more... from both of them. It was a given though, wherever Mello went Matt was going to follow him, and apparently wherever Mello went I was going to be left behind.

I wasn't upset though. I had been betting on that particular outcome. You can't be disappointed when things turn out the way that you expect them too... At least that's what I was telling myself. I had issued Mello and ultimatum. I told him that it was one way or the other, and he had chosen the other.

I sighed forlornly.

"You should really stop sighing you know. Brides are supposed to be stoked on their wedding days," Linda smiled up at me as she fixed the ruffles of my dress.

I managed a weak smile back down to her. "I'm happy Linda. Why would you think I wasn't happy?"

She just shot me a knowing look and shook her head.

"Gevanni's a great guy. He really is. He's great with Marsh, and he's got a good job."

"Hey, it's not ME you have to convince." Linda stood up from the bottom of the dress, straightening it as she rose. She fixed the fabric around my bust and then have me a gentle shove to a full length mirror in the corner of the room.

"You know, I'm so glad you could make it. There wasn't anybody else I would prefer to have as my Maid of Honour," I confessed as I examined my reflection.

I had picked out a princess cut dress with three-quarter sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It was a perfect fit, and decorated in a lovely pattern with all manner of diamonds, white sapphires, blue sapphires and other assorted jewels.

To compliment the gems on my dress I had picked out a set of white sapphire stud earrings and a set of blue sapphire stud earrings for my two piercings. Something new, something blue. Linda had graciously brought and lent me the one thing she had left from her childhood. Her mother's sapphire hair comb. Something old, something borrowed. I was using the comb to hold my bundle of silver hair in a tight bun.

My eyes were laced with a deep, sapphire blue shadow with glints of metallics. I was wearing a dark liner and my lashes were long and full. I had even had my nails painted sapphire blue. It wasn't conventional, but it really tied the piece together.

If it weren't for the random assortment of blue sapphires and dark shades I would've looked like a ghost. White dress, silver hair, alabaster skin, platinum eyes? I was a veritable spectre.

"Heh, I wouldn't have missed it. I'm surprised you found me though."

"It wasn't too difficult," I smiled turning away from the mirror and back to her. "At least not with Near looking," we chuckled together.

"Mommy!" I heard all of the sudden as my little Marsh peeked in the door.

"Come 'ere princess," I smiled and held my arms open wide.

She returned the smile and rushed in. She looked like an absolute angel. Her platinum blonde hair was done in an up-do and held in place with a white gold comb with blue and white sapphires and accented with a dark blue ribbon. Her short Flower Girl dress was covered with lace and absolutely stunning on her. Her blue dress shoes matched her azure eyes.

"Hey kid, doesn't your mom look amazing?" Linda asked her sweetly.

"Yes! And you do too!" Marsh confirmed and Linda beamed down at her.

"I'm not even in my dress yet."

"Yeah, we should fix that eh?" I suggested.

Linda's hair and makeup were already done. Her golden, chestnut brown hair was tied up like Marsh's and her makeup was more focused on silvers than blues to more closely match her skin tone.

I slipped a larger version of Marsh's dress off of a hanger and handed it Linda. "Are you going to need a hand?"

"Nah, I got this," she winked and took her dress into the adjoining room.

"So, what do you think about all this?" I asked Marsh as I seated myself carefully down on a couch. I patted the spot beside me and she sat down as well.

"It's all pretty exciting I think," she mused with a far off look in her eyes.

"Yeahhh," I sighed and joined her in her distant stare.

Linda came back into the room a few moments later. "How do I look?" she asked, giving a three-sixty degree twirl in her blue dress.

"So pretty," Marsh smiled.

"You look really beautiful Linda," I added. "Thanks again for being here."

"Sure thing hun. Now I'm going to take a look around and make sure everything is running smoothly. You sit here! We can't risk Gevanni seeing you in that dress. It's bad luck you know." She winked again then turned to leave. "You want to come with me little Marsh? Give your mom sometime to relax?"

"Sure, sure," Marsh smiled, jumping off the couch and following Linda out of the room.

Linda closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in the room with only my thoughts to keep me company.

I guess this was really going to happen. I was going to marry Gevanni, and the two of us would go on with our lives like we did now except that we would be married. I would pack up all the items in my apartment and move in to Gevanni's place. We would share a living room and a kitchen, we would share a bathroom and a bedroom. Marsh would go back to Wammy's until she was ready to officially join the organization established by my brother, and that would be that. that would be the rest of my boring life until the end of time.

But I suppose security was worth the price of excitement, no?

I thought back to my old notebooks I had pulled down from their dusty refuge the other day. The two types of love; passionate and companionate.

Passionate love: Characterized by high arousal, intense attraction and fear of rejection.

Companionate love: Characterized by a secure, trusting, stable partnership.

The epitome of the first was Mello, and Gevanni? Gevanni summed up the second quite nicely. The question was, which one did I want?

I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was getting older. It really was time for me to settle down... Wasn't it? ...Was it? Was it time for me to hang up my proverbial hat and buy knitting needles and wool and watch Soaps on TV?

I threw my arms up in defeat and crashed back hard against the back of the couch. Why was life so complicated? Math wasn't this complicated. You take a formula in math and plug in your numbers and you have your answer. You couldn't do that with real life. There was no magic formula that could predict your future or tell you what to do.

It, I decided, would be much easier if someone did just tell me what to do. It would be much easier if I didn't have to make this decision for myself. That way, if something went wrong, or if I didn't like the outcome, I could just blame someone else. The burden wouldn't rest on my shoulders. I almost wished then, that this whole thing was all over with.

It was after that that another nagging idea entered my mind. I wanted to believe it, but I just couldn't. I just couldn't believe that the issue of the bomb was over with. I mean, all that trouble we'd been through in the first half of the month, and then what? We manage to capture the bomb without any injury or death one lucky afternoon? Unlikely.

All the hassle and insanity we had gone through; the explosion, who was the fourth person who was supposed to be in the building that day? And then the attempts on my life, the crazy psycho who held me hostage in some basement cell...

A strong knocking on the door had me shaking my mind back into consciousness.

"Jewel, Jewel! It's time! Everyone is ready and waiting!" Linda called in a hushed whisper as she and Marsh let themselves back into my room.

So, this really was it.

Linda helped me on with my veil and marched me out of the room and down the hall. I was in a trance the whole time. She stopped me right outside the great wooden doors that lead into the gallery.

I must have started shaking because Linda put her hands on my shoulders to steady me and said, "You look absolutely gorgeous hun. This'll be just fine." She straightened my dress one more time and then called quietly, "Near, get over here! It's time!"

From the corner of my eyes I saw movement. Near, who had been leaning against a wall across the hall walked slowly over to me. I hadn't even noticed him. His white clothes and silver hair had allowed him to blend right into the ivory paint on the walls. I had tried to talk him into a blue vest or tie, but Near wasn't up for that and I didn't want to press him.

Linda got Near latched onto my arm, then lined up in front of us, and got Marsh lined up in front of her. She leaned over Marsh's head and tapped twice on the big wooden doors. Inside the gallery the wedding march started and I began to feel faint.

After two full bars Marsh opened the double doors and began to march in time to the song. Linda waited for her cue and then went in after her.

As Near and I waited for our turn the butterflies in my stomach turned into full on snakes and the lump in my throat swelled to the size of a grapefruit. I was almost afraid I wouldn't be able to get my legs to move, but on our cue Near and I started down the isle.

I scanned the crowd as we walked.

No Mello.

Near and I made it to the front of the Gallery and stopped in front of the judge's bench. The song ended and a quiet reverence spread over the room.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

No Mello.

"I do," Near said and then took his seat in the front row.

The judge paused a beat and then said, "Family and friends, we welcome you today to witness the marriage of Stephen Gevanni and Jewel?" The judge shot me a confused look, and I just rolled my eyes under my veil. It wasn't my fault that Gevanni's fake name was more believable than mine. I probably should have come up with a last name for the ceremony, but I didn't feel like I needed to. It's not like either of us were using our real names anyway. The judge continued, "You have shared and contributed to their lives in the past, and by witnessing their marriage ceremony today, Jewel," the pause on my name was far too noticeable, "and Gevanni ask you to share in their future."

I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and check for Mello. Telling myself that if he was here, I would have known about it by now.

"Marriage is a promise, made in the hearts of two people who love each other, which takes a lifetime to fulfill. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's lover, teacher, listener, critic, and best friend..."

Oh my... I was getting so antsy. I started twitching and fidgeting inside my dress. The ceremony was going too fast and too slow all at the same time. I just wanted to get it over with and get out of here, but at the same time, I wanted to give Mello all the time I could for him to get here.

"...It is into this state that Jewel and Gevanni wish to enter..."

No Mello.

I hung my head and waited for the inevitable. It was Mello's last chance to show up, to make a grand entrance and say that he wanted me forever and ever.

No Mello.

"If anyone has reason why these two should not be joined in wedlock, speak now or forever hold your peace."

No Mello.

The judge made a move to continue the ceremony and I resigned myself to the life I had agreed to, when suddenly a loud succession of gasps spread throughout the rows of guests. I turned my head to see what had happened and could not believe my eyes.

Near was standing up in the middle of the mass of people and all eyes in the room were on him. He fiddled with a lock of his silver hair for a moment, uncomfortable with all the staring eyes and was about to open his mouth to say something when a loud banging grabbed all of our attention and directed it towards the back of the courtroom.

The two great, wooden doors were thrown open and a slight figure was silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

"Sit down sheep, I got this."

Author's Note: So, I was originally not going to have Linda be here, at the wedding, but I just couldn't help it ^_^ ...Besides, who else was going to be Jewel's Maid of Honour? Also, I was originally going to have Jewel wearing peridots instead of sapphires because they're her birth stones and go better with gold (the gold ring) than sapphires do. But I figured I needed something blue anyway, so why not :)