Marissa took a deep breath and stepped out of the car that had driven her from the hotel down to the gazebo by the lake. There was very talented quartet playing a quiet love song and Marissa was welcomed by a sea of smiles.
She congratulated herself on her choice of clothing theme for the wedding. It was like stepping out into a rainbow, to see everyone in their bright colourful outfits. Under the dull March sky it added a real burst of joyful brightness and gayety to the day.
Marissa smiled up at David.
"Shall we." he asked.
"Lets!" said Marissa.
She turned to her four pretty bridesmaids, Emma, Kathy, Jenny and Leora.
"It's time. Are we all ready?" she asked.
The girls nodded eagerly and Leora giggled; it was looking more and more as if she was understanding the world around her.
The music changed subtly and that was their cue to walk slowly down the aisle. Anyone paying attention to the musicians would recognise Disney's Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Marissa suspected, from the grin on Kendall's face, her wife-to-be's sister had had a hand in the music choice. There was a running joke about how much Bianca looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Marissa looked like Ariel.
…
Marissa turned the corner and looked up towards the altar to get her first glimpse of Bianca. She almost stumbled; there was AJ, an empty stool and no bride. She had expected to find Bianca waiting for her… Bianca had insisted she wasn't going to go down the aisle in her wheelchair.
David led her on but Marissa was confused. What was going on? Where was Bianca?
When Marissa reached the altar she gave AJ a wink, as he stood nervously waiting to act as Best Man. She was trying to act cool while completely baffled by Bianca's absence. Then she heard gasp from the congregation.
Marissa turned and saw Bianca standing at the gazebo entrance. She looked stunning in her blue gown and high coffered hair, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. But Marissa was spellbound by the biggest miracle of all; Bianca was going to walk down the aisle towards her.
…
There was a murmur of delight and surprise when Bianca stepped onto the carpet. Bianca thought it might have something to do with the fact she had 'stepped'. Admittedly she was still dependant on her crutches, and she wouldn't be able to go very fast, but most people here hadn't seen her out of her wheelchair since her abduction. It felt nice to surprise them.
Despite the fact she was supposed to be concentrating on her balance, Bianca could only focus on one thing… Marissa. She was a vision in an emerald green gown. It was an almost exact replica of her New York premier gown, only without the lace and the ruffles. Somehow it was even more beautiful cut in a much simpler style.
Bianca just stared; Marissa took her breath away.
Marissa stared right back, surprised and delighted to see Bianca on her feet.
The music started again, this time the quartet was playing the Beauty and Beast theme and Marissa grinned; Kendall definitely had a hand in the music!
Bianca felt Jackson's hand on her back prompting her to move forward. She took her first step towards the altar. Jackson kept one hand on her shoulder as Bianca walked down the aisle just as she'd always hoped she would. Her three bridesmaids, Gabby, Ayesha and Miranda walked in a solemn orderly line behind her, clutching small baskets of colourful tulips.
And there was Marissa waiting, gorgeous and serene. Today was turning out better than a dream…
…
When Bianca reached Marissa; for a moment both women were too busy staring and smiling to remember where they were.
"You look beautiful." Bianca whispered.
"You look beautiful! And you're walking!" Marissa whispered back. "When..? How..?"
The registrar had to clear his throat loudly to draw Marissa and Bianca's attention away from each other.
"Shall we begin?" he asked.
"Yes." Marissa and Bianca answered in unison. "A thousand times, yes!"
…