Though her friends would disagree, getting ready for the wedding had been the easy part. Mia stood in her dress, done up perfectly like she had imagined herself all those years ago. Everything was perfect and beautiful and she couldn't imagine a better scene before her. The music played. Riley as the flower girl, took Terran's hand and together they walked down the aisle. Riley waved and smiled excitedly when she saw her father standing at the front and rushed down by herself, leaving Terran behind. The little boy had no idea what was going on, but that wasn't going to stop him. He dropped the pillow on his hands which carried two fake rings. He heard the music playing and decided this was a good time to show his family he knew how to dance.

Or at least bop. He bounced in the middle of the aisle, smiling happily. Serena got down on her knees and called him over. Terran ran into his mother's arms.

Riley raced directly to her father. It was the first time she had seen him in two days and she had to admit to missing him. She jumped right into his arms and gave him a warm hug.

"Happy birthday, Riles," he whispered in her ear. "I promise, this is going to be a short ceremony and then we're going to have fun."

"I know. Happy wedding day, daddy," Riley gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gave her another loving squeeze before he set her down and she ran to sit beside her grandmother.

Mike put his hand on Kevin's shoulder, "Congrats, dude."

Kevin nodded his head and tried to hold back his tears. He knew the day would come eventually where Riley would accept him as her father. She had already called Mia her mother. He never assumed it would be so soon, and he never thought it would affect him this much. He had to keep it together, and tried his best.

But the wedding march started and all eyes turned to the back. Mia stepped into the room, escorted by her grandmother and there was a beautiful, stunning, radiant smile that light up her face. All eyes were on her, but she was staring to one spot in particular.

For her entire childhood she had imagined this moment. She had thought of the flowers, the dress, the music, the layout of the room, who she would invite, what she would do, what she would say. She had everything planned and she had always believed that if she stuck to the plan, it would all be perfect – she would have her dream wedding. But as she looked out at Kevin, all she could see was him and none of that mattered. She had it all, her wedding was perfect, and yet the only thought on her mind was of Kevin and how amazing he was and how lucky she was to have him.

She didn't take her eyes off him for the ceremony. She stared directly into his eyes and he stared back lovingly. For a moment, she thought she saw her future with him, and it was a happy future.

"Mia!" a nudge in her back was strong enough to pull her from her dream and she found it was all real. She turned around to see who had nudged her. It was Emily. "C'mon, Mia, if you like it, which we all know you do, then you've gotta put a ring on it!"

Mia took the ring and slipped it on Kevin's finger. With that, they were married. The minister told Kevin he could kiss the bride and he pulled Mia into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"That was my idea," Riley whispered to her grandmother, "I told mommy she should kiss daddy."

Christina chuckled and cuddled with her granddaughter.

-Samurai-

"So, hold up," Terry was sitting at a table with his sister during the reception. Mia had promised to catch up with him after the wedding and he wouldn't let her go until he got a few answers from her. While the party was having fun, Mia was caught explaining the last month and a bit to her brother, "After you abandoned me, crying and devastated about the news that you couldn't get pregnant, you find a kid on the streets and adopt her? And you never thought about calling your brother and letting him know?"

"I'm really sorry, Terry. I'm not used to having a brother to call, you know. Dad may have told you about me, but I still have to remind myself I have a brother from time to time."

"Well, thanks to that, she doesn't like me," Terry teased his sister, "I'm really happy for you, Mia. You do deserve the best."

"Thank you. Now can you get up on stage and start playing? It's not a party without music!"

Terry nodded his head. He kissed Mia on the cheek and went to join the band and Antonio on stage. Mia got up, finally free from her brother's questions and walked around the room, trying to find something to do.

"Mommy!" Riley called and pushed her way through the people, "The cake is here and it looks super good! You have to come see."

"It's got a pink Samurai Ranger, blue kittens, rainbows, and wedding bells," Kevin said, "And out little bride, groom, and daughter figurines on the top. I know it sounds bad, but it's actually really stunning. I almost don't want to eat it."

"I do! But come see!" Riley took her mother's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

At another table, Mike, Emily, and Lauren sat and watched the new family get excited about their cake. Lauren wasn't one for big parties, and felt uncomfortable with the huge amount of socializing she would have to do at the party. She knew most of the guests but very little about weddings and so preferred to sit down and observe. It was for the best anyways. There were a few more weddings to be had in the near future. Though Jayden and Antonio's was postponed indefinitely, it was going to happen one day and Lauren had been asked to be Jayden's best man. Kate and Ji were also going to get married and Lauren was Kate's maid of honour.

She needed to learn all she could about weddings so she didn't mess up for her own family.

Emily complained she was feeling tired and sluggish. Mia had her up early that morning and Emily had spent the last few days running errands for the bride.

Mike was having fun, "They're going to be happy, especially on that honeymoon. And speaking of," he turned to Lauren with a bright smile, "You're going to be babysitting the little terror for a week."

"Nervous?" Emily asked and touched her stomach, "I know I am."

"Ji and Kate are going to be around, and Riley likes me," Lauren answered. "I'm a little nervous, but I think it'll be fun."

"What are you going to do with her for the week?" Mike asked. "Hanging around the Shiba House was pretty cool and all, but… it did get boring."

"I can take her down to the dojo," Lauren said, "I talked to her about starting lessons and she seemed excited. Mia and Kevin are going to sign her up once everything's official, but I don't see the harm in getting her a little warmed up. She might also like to Troy."

"Troy?"

"A temporary student. He's helping with the final stages of the dojo in exchange for free lessons. He's a pretty cool guy. He keeps to himself, mostly, but he's got a good… there's just something really good about him. I can feel it."

"That should be fun," Mike and Emily nodded. Mike then saw a round of appetizers coming out of the kitchen and jumped up, "Food! Finally! Want something, Em? I can bring you over a plate?"

"I'm not very hungry," Emily shook her head, "I'll wait until the real food comes out."

-Samurai-

It was time for the first dance for the bride and groom. Kevin held Mia close as they swayed on the dance floor. They were both a little shy about dancing with all eyes on them, so they tried to ignore everyone else. Kevin gave Mia a smile.

"I'm daddy."

"Uh, normally the title changes to husband," Mia chuckled, "What are you…?"

"Riley," Kevin laughed, "When she ran down the aisle, she called me daddy. You're right, it's one of the best feelings in the world. I almost cried."

"I thought life would work out like it did in all those stories and movies," Mia said as she leaned into Kevin. "I thought I would find my prince charming and just know he was the one. I thought I would get married at the perfect wedding, go on this amazing honeymoon, buy a house, and eventually start a family. I never imagined this chaos."

"Neither did I," Kevin nodded, "Not that I spent a lot of time dreaming about what my family would look like. Most of my dreams were about the Olympics. But you know what, as thrilling as it is to win a gold medal for my country, I don't think it could even come close to this feeling. I have my wife and my daughter by my side forever. That's…"

"Incredible," Mia smiled and nodded her head. She looked up and gave Kevin a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too. By the way, our honeymoon is all set up."

"Can I know where we're going now?"

"Serena did most of the hard work. How does New Zealand sound?"

"New Zealand?"

"It's summer there, and I hear the place is unlike anywhere else in the world. I think we'll have a lot of fun. Serena did too. She suggested it and paid for the hotel."

"She did?"

"It's our wedding present," Kevin chuckled. "So what do you think?"

"You're coming, right?"

"It's my honeymoon too."

"It'll be perfect."

"New Zealand? Maybe you should go to old Zealand first," Riley but in between her parents, pushing them apart, "Dance time is over, guys. It's my turn. Uncle Tonio promised to play a special song just for me because it's my birthday too, remember."

"Of course," Mia and Kevin nodded. Kevin lifted his daughter into his arms, "May I have this dance, my little lady."

"You sound funny," Riley giggled, "but okay."

She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, "I like this wedding. Now we're a real family, right? No more fake family."

"We were never a fake family," Mia kissed her daughter's cheek, "But yes, Riley, now we're officially and official real family."

"Will you call me every night while you go chase the moon of honey?"

"Every night, right before bedtime, we promise."

-Samurai-

Emily sat at the table and was trying to make a miniature fort out of the napkins and cutlery that had been left over from the main course. Dessert was on its way and to be served by the end of the night, right before Kevin and Mia left for their honeymoon. In fact, Emily could see the cake was being pushed out on a cart right at this moment.

She wasn't hungry. She hadn't eaten appetizers or much of her dinner, and though she was a sugar maniac, she couldn't bring herself to eat. She felt sluggish, tired, and drained, and the thought of eating something made her stomach turn. At the same time, she was craving something, but couldn't quite figure it out. The napkins did look good, and she had considered tasting them, but knew that would look weird and raise several eyebrows.

While everyone gathered around the oddly decorated cake, Emily stayed at the table. Serena came over to join her.

"Mike says you're tired."

"A bit, yet," Emily nodded, "Being maid of honour is exhausting."

"You'll have to do it again," Serena smiled, "You're my official maid of honour. I'll have Mia help out, though. You're going to be so fat when it's my turn."

"Stupid twins," Emily muttered and looked down at her stomach, "Don't get comfortable. If I have to, I will induce."

"Hitting one of those rough spots?" Serena rubbed her sister's arm, "It only gets worst from here, but it's worth it. You're going to love being a mom. Maybe twice as much as I do."

"I get twice as much of everything, don't I?"

"Just be glad it's not triplets," Serena teased but saw the angry glare from her sister. She laughed and wrapped her arms around her, "Aw, I'm only playing, Em. Besides, no matter how many babies you have, I'll always be there for you, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. I just…"

"Are you sure everything's okay? Why don't you go lie down? There's a couch in the hall and it's pretty quiet out there. Maybe you just need a nap."

"That might be a good idea," Emily nodded and got to her feet. She swayed slightly which prompted Serena to jump up and steady her.

"Yeah, okay, you do need to lie down. I'll walk you out and let you nap for a bit. Mike or I will come to wake you up later. And here," Serena picked up a glass from the table, "Drink some water."

-Samurai-

The wedding day had been the best day of Mia and Kevin's lives. To say they didn't want it to end was completely true, and lucky for them, it didn't have to. They were going straight from the reception to the airport. Ji and Kate would be driving them and had their bags packed and ready to go.

Mia got down on her knees and pulled her daughter into her arms, "We are coming home, Riley. We're only going to be gone for a week."

"I know," Riley nodded her head and hugged her mother tight, "I miss you already."

"You're going to have so much fun with Auntie Lauren. You won't even know we're gone," Mia promised her and then passed her over to Kevin. He gave her a hug and a kiss.

"We'll bring you home a bunch of souvenirs."

"Presents?"

"Yeah. A whole lot of them. And we'll call every night… day… we'll call you at least once a day. We'll figure out the time difference once we're there."

"Just bring back the presents," Riley said. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek, offered her mother one more hug and was then placed back on the ground. Her parents had already said goodbye to the rest of the family, so all that was left for them to do was leave. They did, and their guests were left to clean up what was left behind.

The joys of being maid of honour," Emily muttered. She had come back from her nap to say goodbye to Mia and Kevin but wasn't feeling any better than before she fell asleep. She wasn't going to let that keep her from helping everyone out with the cleanup, but would take it easy. She decided she would take Mia and Kevin's presents from the table in the corner of the room out to the car, and asked Jayden and James to lend her a hand with some of the heavier presents. She grabbed the smaller boxes and made her way out to the car.

She wrangled the car keys out from her pocket and opened the trunk. She wasn't sure how they were going to fit all the presents in, but they were going to find a way, and it started with clearing out the items that were already in the trunk. Emily would move them to the back. She reached in and grabbed what she could. As she straightened herself out, she felt unsteady.

It was dark out, but she was positive her vision was fading and the spots of dark she was seeing had nothing to do with the night. Then, she lost the ability to see completely, and everything around her sounded like it was underwater.

"Emily! Emily, can you hear me?" her vision returned but her hearing was still a little fuzzy. She had no idea where she was, what she was doing or had been doing, and what had happened. She looked up, completely terrified and saw Mike was leaning over her. Behind him was the sky. She didn't remember lying down.

Seeing her eyes open, Mike breathed a sigh of relief and gently stroked the side of her face, "Emily are you okay? What happened?"

She didn't respond but her eyes welled up with tears. Mike sat down beside her on the cold sidewalk and decided against asking her anymore questions to avoid freaking her out further.

James took off his coat and draped it across Emily. He looked to Mike, "I can drive you guys down to the hospital."

"Please," Mike whispered. Emily seemed a little dazed, but she was awake, but Mike wouldn't take any chances – not when she was pregnant. Slowly and carefully he and James lifted Emily up to her feet and walked over to James' car.

Everyone had gathered outside. When James and Jayden found Emily slumped over, half-lying in the trunk they had rushed for help. Jayden ran back inside to tell the rest of the Samurai family what had happened while James stayed with Emily and lay her on the ground.

Riley hugged Lauren tightly, terrified for her aunt, "Is Auntie Emy going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Riley," Lauren nodded and gently squeezed her niece, "Everything's going to be okay. How about we go take another slice of your birthday cake?"

"But… but, Riley clung tightly to her Aunt and looked over her shoulder as Lauren carried her back inside.

Serena stood in the cold and watched as James and Mike drove off to the hospital. She would be in the car with her sister, but someone had to stay with Terran.

Christina came over and hugged the worried sister, "She'll be fine."

"She wasn't feeling well today," Serena sniffed. Christina looked to her sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it."

"She doesn't deserve this. What if it's bad news again? It could be bad, right?"

"It could be nothing. Let's get you home. Patrick went to get Terran. We can stay with you tonight."

"Thank you."