You guys! I do believe that this is the last chapter. What better way to end Emily and Derek's story than their wedding, hmm? (:

The Significance Series belongs to Shelly Crane.

26: I Do

A week had passed since Derek and I had made a deal with Bailey. When we came home, Jack had known something was up immediately. While Derek went to find his parents, Jack pestered me with questions. I went to the kitchen and got an orange soda for Derek, because I could tell that he needed a caffeine boost as much as I did. When we finally got Victoria and Robert to the living room, Jack had collapsed onto the couch and Madison had slunk out of her bedroom. Carissa was out, and Zach was studying. It almost felt like a normal family meeting, if that made any sense.

I let Derek explain the conversation we'd had with Bailey. At first, Robert was angry, saying that he couldn't believe that she had the audacity to seek me out and deliver a cryptic message. Victoria, though, managed to keep calm and reminded him that Bailey had just wanted to talk to us in private, in place where we could discuss Ace issues without being overheard. Victoria continued to say that at least she'd chosen a public place, so we were safer, and she hadn't approached us with any contempt. She only wanted to get away from her family. How could we deny her something like that?

Eventually, Robert calmed down and acknowledged that Derek had made the right decision. We all agreed that we weren't sure if we could trust her completely. For all we knew, she could've already told her family that Derek and I had imprinted, but at least we were already ascended and could protect ourselves. We had to have a little faith that Bailey would remember what it was like when we were friends. It made me wonder what the point of clan rivalries were; Derek and Bailey hadn't been allowed to be friends when they were kids, but maybe it was my friendship with her that would save us. I couldn't help but think that maybe the rules against intermingling were a little too strict. I didn't voice my thoughts because we were all a little on edge.

But now, after a week, Robert had calmed down and stopped acting like there was an enemy on every street corner, and Victoria was already preparing for if Bailey stopped by. She said that if she did decide to leave her family, it was likely that they wouldn't do anything to help her. It meant that she'd be cut off from any assets, meaning her bank account would be closed and she would probably only be able to take what she managed to stockpile with her. Victoria had set off to put aside a little money each month in case Bailey needed it, along with Carissa's cast-off clothes, Madison's least favorite shoes, and even a few things from my own closet.

Around Victoria's preparing and Robert's constant security, we continued to plan a wedding. The guys didn't have much say in it, and Victoria had sort of taken over, not that I minded. More often than not, I'd walk into the kitchen to find the two of them pouring over magazines and cookbooks. I wasn't really sure what they were planning for. In an Ace wedding, the bride and groom wore red to symbolize the blood that tied us together, and Derek's uncle would be the one doing the ceremony at his house because he was the leader. But Victoria wanted to put in some regular human aspects into the wedding as well, going so far as to ask me to choose flowers, food, and even napkins. She eventually dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn and shuffled me off to the mall to find a dress.

Derek and I started keeping secrets from one another. They weren't anything big, I knew. Victoria didn't want Derek to see the dress I'd picked out, and I'd been told that Derek was supposed to give me a house for a wedding gift. If he did decide to follow the traditions, he'd already gotten me a house and had probably furnished it as well, since he was supposed to carry me over the threshold so we could start our new lives together after our wedding.

Our wedding, which was happening tonight right before the sun set completely. I'd already told my mom that Derek's uncle was throwing a party, and that she should be there around seven. I'd discussed it with Derek, and we decided that it would probably help to mend the relationship between me and Xavier if we invited him. It turned out that I was right about Xavier; he had a massive crush on Debbie, and it was possible that she liked him back. A part of me was extremely wound up. Both of my parents were instructed to come to Derek's uncle's house at seven, and they'd promised that they were going to be there. I was worried about what they were going to say when they found out that I'd gotten married without telling them. They couldn't do much, I figured, since I was nineteen. I just didn't want to be estranged from my family.

"Close your eyes," Madison instructed. I did as she said, and she swiped a powder brush over my nose and cheeks. Victoria and Madison had descended within the hour after Derek and I woke up. I was told to shower and get dressed in whatever I had lying around, and I wasn't supposed to do my hair or put any makeup on. I did just that, and ended up at the site of my wedding looking like a hot mess. Victoria and Madison shuffled me up the stairs to one of the spare bedrooms, where they proceeded to brush and dry and curl my hair. I'd shimmied into my satiny soft red dress, and now they were smearing bright red lipstick on my lips and carefully lining my eyes with a liquid pen. All day, aunts and cousins were in and out of the room, offering bits of food or a glass of water or anything to make me comfortable. Some of them even sat in the room and told me stories about what Derek had been like when he was little. Some of their stories I remembered in snapshots, calling the memories up like they were my own. It was a little strange, to be honest, but within hours, I no longer felt like I was just an additive to the family. They had actually considered me a Stanton for a long time, and now was just the first time they'd seen me long enough to really talk to me.

I hadn't seen Derek in a few hours, and I already missed him more than anything. Occasionally, they gave me a break, which I would spend by the window, looking out in the backyard. Uncles and even more cousins were in the backyard, hanging the chain lights that Victoria had ordered in the trees just like she'd instructed. The next time I looked out the window, they were setting up tables and taping soft white tablecloths to the underside of the tables, and then they were setting out my red and white rose bouquets. I would've never thought that I'd see so many men preparing for a wedding, but I was.

Finally, it got to the point where I wasn't allowed to look out the window anymore, and after closing my eyes and concentrating a little bit, I could sense Derek standing in the backyard. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to see him. It wasn't much longer until I was spirited down the stairs and to the back door. Victoria had decided to incorporate Ace weddings with human ones, so while I was wearing a red dress, I was given a white rose bouquet, and I was supposed to walk down the narrow aisle up to Derek, where we would exchange our vows and trade rings.

"Ready?" Victoria asked. Her eyes were already wet with tears. She gave me a crushing hug, and I could tell that she was trying to make up for the fact that my mother wasn't here to cry over me and my father wasn't here to walk me down the aisle.

"You look beautiful," Madison said from beside me. She smiled at me brightly. I could see the hope in her eyes. For her, her brother's marriage signified the future that she might be able to have. Maybe one day, she'd be the one wearing a red dress, and I'd be the one telling her that she looked gorgeous.

Carissa grinned at me as she held out the small bouquet I was supposed to carry. I didn't have any bridesmaids or anything like that, since I'd wanted to stick with an Ace wedding over the traditional human one. "Go on," Victoria said. Robert held out his elbow and I wrapped my hand around his arm, and he led me down the aisle.

I looked up towards the end of it. Derek was standing there, wearing a bright red shirt and black pants, his feet bare like mine. His hair blew in the gentle breeze, and he smiled wider than I'd ever seen before. You look beautiful, babe.

You don't look so bad yourself. I replied, and was shocked to find that the moment the words were spoken in my mind, tears sprang to my eyes. I guess it hadn't really hit me that I was going to get married until I was facing it, literally. There wasn't any time to think about it, not that I wanted to, because I knew that this was what I wanted. But I still hadn't realized that I was going through the motions of planning my wedding without getting emotionally involved in it. As I stepped up in front of Derek, he swiped his thumb under my eye, catching any fallen tears.

Before I knew it, he'd slipped a beautiful ring onto my finger, and I put the ring I'd chosen out for him on his. We sealed our marriage with a deal, and that was that. I was married. Emotional swelled in my stomach, pressing in on my chest, as I smiled and laughed and cried with joy. Derek and I were instructed to take pictures with Carissa, who had taken a few photography classes, while everyone else removed the chairs and the signs that the wedding had occurred and prepared to make it look specifically like it was merely a reception. We needed to fool my parents and my friends, and that meant that they weren't supposed to know that I'd only gotten married an hour before.

"Do you like it?" Derek asked as we sat on the couch, sitting as close as humanly possible. I rested my head on his shoulder and held out my left hand. Derek had picked out a ring that was absolutely beautiful. It glittered in the light and was clearly expensive, but he'd chosen one that was simple. It was absolutely perfect. I pushed that thought to him. "I saw it and I just knew," he said softly.

I wrapped my hand around his, my thumb pressing the silver titanium ring I'd chosen. It was stronger than regular silver, the saleslady had said. On the inside I'd added a flame that was like the one around my wrist, like the one on the necklace I wore around my neck. Derek leaned over to kiss me. Electricity shot through my veins and hovered over my skin as his fingers knotted into my hair. His other hand remained on my wrist as I grabbed a hold of his shirt. I felt the beginnings of our minds melding, the feelings intensifying. But then he broke away and smiled at me. "Not now," he whispered softly. "We have our entire lives."

I grinned at him. "Yeah, we do."

# # #

The party was in full swing by the time my mother dropped by. With her was Xavier, and with him was Debbie. "Hi," I said brightly. I didn't try to hide the ring that now adorned my left fourth finger. I was in too good of a mood, and honestly, this whole party was actually my wedding reception. I wrapped my mom in a hug.

"Well, hi, honey," she said with a smile. "To be honest, I was surprised to hear that there was a party that you wanted me to come to. And we had such a hard time finding this place." She said. "Can you tell me what all of this is for?" She asked.

Excitement and worry clashed together inside me. I was over the moon that we'd gotten married, but I was worried about what my mom was going to say. I didn't want her to get mad at me, and I didn't want to see her cry because of something I'd done. Derek showed up right at that moment and put his arm around my waist. "Mom," I said, "can you wait until dad gets here?"

"You invited your father?" She asked. Mom didn't look worried, but there was a little tightening in the skin around her eyes. They hadn't had a blow-out divorce, and they talked on the phone like civil people whenever they needed to discuss me, but they hadn't been in the same place at the same time since their mediation where they divvied up their property, including me.

"Yeah," I said, "he has a right to be here, too, mom." I reminded gently. She opened her mouth to reply when there was another ring on the doorbell. I went to answer the door, and, right on time, was my father. He was still dressed in his suit from his day at work. I greeted him, and the moment he stepped in his eyes met with my mom's, and the entire room seemed to freeze for a moment while they looked at each other.

"Okay, well," I said, "Derek and I have something to tell you." I said. I winced when I realized how those words sounded. Xavier's eyes grew to be the size of plates, my dad glared at Derek, and mom stared at my stomach. "Okay, stop looking at me like that. I'm not pregnant, jeez." I held out my left hand. "Derek and I went to the justice of the peace earlier today. We're married." I said. I'd planned to give it to them gently, but I didn't like the way that they'd looked at us like we were insane.

Dad froze. Mom froze. Xavier looked away, his hand tightening into a fist. I knew he wasn't still mad at me, because over the past week we'd patched our friendship back together pretty well, but I should've expected that he wouldn't be pleased. Just because he wasn't mad at me didn't mean he wasn't mad at Derek.

"You're so young." Mom said finally.

I shrugged. "I might be wrong, but I knew that it was the right thing to do. I told you before that what we have isn't a joke or a game. It's real. It's lasting. I promise." I said, reaching out to squeeze Derek's hand. "So this party is for us. We told his family and they decided to throw a party for us. And I invited you, because I want you to be a part of my life, even if you aren't happy with all of my decisions. But I hope you are."

Dad took a deep breath. "I'm not mad at you, Emily. I just wish you would've told us. Your mom and I just want you to be happy," he stated. He even looked at mom to see if she agreed. She gave a slight nod to signify that she did, which was good. If they were agreeing with each other, then we were on the right path.

"I can't be mad at you when you're happy." Mom said. She stepped forward and hugged me, and then hugged Derek. Derek looked a little surprised, but he hugged her back, and even whispered in her ear that he would take care of me, no matter what. She smiled at him, tears in her eyes. My parents may not have been thrilled, but they accepted my choices, and that said a lot. My dad shook Derek's hand and didn't look like he wanted to kill him, so I figured that we were in the clear.

"Enjoy the party, okay? Victoria and Robert are over there, and there's this huge food buffet starting in the kitchen." I told them. Mom went off to find Victoria, and dad stood there a little uncomfortably until Robert came up and started talking business with him. He led him off towards the collection of uncles in the corner. I would have to thank him later for distracting my dad and making him feel welcome by talking about the only thing he truly liked to talk about: business, and cars.

That went better than I thought it would. I told Derek. I was a little worried that dad would want to punch you in the face, or that mom would start screaming.

He smiled at me. They're happy for you. You know how much they love you.

I know. I kissed his cheek. Xavier and Debbie were talking amongst themselves, but they hadn't gone very far. Xavier kept turning to give us a few looks, but they weren't glares, so that was something. Derek and I were flooded with family members wanting to congratulate us. Finally, they swept past and we were left alone.

But we were only left alone for a moment before someone threw an arm around Derek's neck. "Hey, man!" Johnny crowed in his ear. The blue streaks in his hair looked particularly bright in the lights. "So are you going to tell me what this party is for, yet? You invited us a week ago but it's not your birthday."

Derek reached for my hand. I gave it to him, and he held it out in front of all of his friends. "We went to the justice of the peace today," he lied smoothly.

"Whoa, you got hitched?" Johnny shouted. "Funny thing, too," he said. Tory stepped up beside him and held out her left hand. On her fourth finger was a ring with a small diamond, simple and beautiful.

"I was right!" She said, nudging me. The two of us hugged each other while the rest of the band congratulated us. Eventually, I introduced Xavier and Debbie to the band, and they seemed a little more at peace with the fact that there were people their age at the party.

We spent a good chunk of the night eating and talking and laughing, and it was perfect. Just perfect.

# # #

"Go home and get some rest," Victoria said. She still looked happy, but I could tell that she was tired. She had put a lot of time and effort into making sure that today went flawlessly, and she'd done well. I had just told her that, and she'd just smiled and told me that Derek and I needed to go home and get some sleep. I hugged her goodbye, just like I'd hugged my parents, the band, and even Xavier earlier, and Derek led me out to the Trans Am. Someone had written on the windows with window paint: Just Married! with little hearts all over the place.

Derek opened the door for me and climbed in on his side. He didn't start the car right away, though, and instead started digging through his pockets. "I love you, Emily Stanton." He said with a smile. He lifted up a keychain with my new initials – E.S. – engraved on it. "Here is the key to our house. Are you ready to go start our lives together?" He teased.

I leaned forward, wrapped my hand around the keys, and kissed him long and hard. "I've never been more ready."

The End.

Holy. Cow. It's over. What did you guys think, huh? Bittersweet, like I always say when it comes to the end of my fanfics. I'm sort of glad to have it over. It feels good to have finished something. But sad at the same time.

Never fear, though, there's a spinoff of this story that I'm planning to upload once I finish a few more chapters on it. I've already completed the first two. It's an experimental story involving Jack, Derek's younger brother. So keep checking back for it, okay?

Please, please, leave me a review in the box below. I'd love to see what you have to say. If you want an answer from me directly, PM it to me and I'll probably be quick at getting it back to you. I want to thank you guys so much for sticking with me all the way through. You guys are awesome.

Thanks! PEACE (: