That weekend, Alex and Walker hosted a cookout to celebrate Sydney's homecoming.
"I sure hope you have enough burgers," Trivette joked as he helped Walker get the charcoal started. "Where are Gage and Sydney, anyhow?"
"My guess is they're still celebrating Sydney's return from the dead, and they're probably on GST," Walker replied.
"GST?"
"Gage Standard Time." Walker answered with a chuckle, referring to the junior ranger's issue with punctuality.
Sydney and Gage arrived a few minutes later to warm embraces and and welcomes from their friends. As they sat down for lunch, Erika asked Sydney what she and Gage had decided to do about the wedding.
"We're still trying to figure that out," Sydney said with a sigh. "All those plans –" She stopped short, frowning, thinking of all the work she and Gage had done to put together their dream wedding.
"Whatever we do, Shorty, it'll still be perfect," Gage reassured her, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.
"Well, just what do you need to do? Maybe we can help you get things back on track," Trivette offered.
"The reception hall and the church will be booked solid for months now," Sydney replied, "and we probably won't have any better luck with the caterer, the bakery, or the florist. Besides, after everything that happened, I just don't feel right having a big wedding. "
"So, why don't you do something small right here at the ranch?" Walker suggested.
"I may know a judge that might be willing to help us out," Alex added.
Erika and Alex then both began speaking at once, volleying ideas back and forth on where to come up with flowers, food, and a cake on short notice. They decided they could have a wedding planned for three weeks from that day.
"Well, that's fine, but where will I find a dress in three weeks?" Sydney asked, remembering how long it took her to find her original wedding gown, not to mention all the appointments for fittings.
"Maybe your boss can give you tomorrow off so we can do some dress shopping." Alex winked at her husband.
Sydney picked Angela up and held the tiny blond-haired toddler on her lap.
"And how about you, sweetheart? Are you still going to be my flower girl?" she cooed to the little girl.
Angela pursed her lips. "Nooooo," she pouted defiantly, shaking her head and making her blond ringlets dance. "No flower girl, Aunt Sydee! Batman!" She exclaimed, holding her arms wide as if she were extending an imaginary cape.
Everyone laughed. Gage looked at Sydney and shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, Shorty, she seems to have her heart set on being Batman. Maybe we can compromise?"
The next three weeks were a whirlwind of activity. A tent would be set up at the Walker ranch complete with chairs, tables, and even a dance floor to accommodate the ceremony and the reception afterwards. Arrangements were made with a caterer and a florist, and Connie Jensen, who was famous among the Company B rangers for her fabulous desserts, had offered to bake a wedding cake when it seemed no bakery could manage the short notice. Tuxedos were foregone in exchange for dark suits for the men, which was more fitting for the less formal setting. Guests were contacted, Julie would be flying in from California just in time for the new date; everything was falling perfectly into place.
Alex put in a call to an old family friend, Judge Lewis Lockard, to see if he'd preside over the ceremony. Lockard had served many years as a judge in Tarrant County and in his long career, he had many couples stand in front of him to take their vows. Since retiring from the bench, he preferred to spend his time on the lake uniting bait and bass. He had to admit, though, that the assistant district attorney was certainly persistent, and when he heard who was getting married, he couldn't possibly say no. He had followed Sydney's story in the news and was pleased that he would get to play a part in her story's happy ending.
Sydney awoke the morning of her wedding filled with anticipation. She had spent the night at the Walker ranch and was surprised she had even been able to sleep, she was so excited.
Erika arrived early to help Sydney with her hair. She had decided not to wear a veil, so Erika got to work arranging Sydney's long, dark locks into a soft updo accented with tiny pearls.
"Will you sit still, Syd?" Erika pleaded.
"I can't help it, Erika, I'm too excited to sit!"
Alex walked in with a tray full of fruit, rolls, coffee, and juice. "Anyone want breakfast?"
"I'm too excited to eat!" Sydney wailed.
"Well you better try to eat. We don't want you passing out during the service." Erika chastised her friend.
"No, and you don't want me throwing up during it, either, do you?" Sydney retorted. "Is Julie here yet?"
"She'll be here in about fifteen minutes," Alex informed her friend.
"Well, thank God she doesn't have her brother's inability to – " Sydney's eyes and mouth both flew open wide. "Oh my God, Alex! Please tell me somebody is going to make sure Gage is here on time!"
"Jimmy is on it," Alex reassured her, setting a cup of coffee and a plate with a roll and some fruit in front of Sydney. Erika promptly took the cup of coffee away.
"No coffee," she said, laughing. "The last thing this girl needs is coffee!"
Trivette knocked on the door to Gage's apartment. "Gage? Gage? Let's go, man, time to get hitched!" There was no response.
Trivette knocked again. "Gage? If you don't answer the door, I'm going to kick it down. You have a wedding to get to."
Trivette was just ready to kick the door in when Gage opened it. "Hey, Jimmy! I thought I heard someone out here!"
"Man, what took you so long?" Trivette asked, annoyed.
"I thought I lost the rings!"
"Please tell me you didn't!" Trivette slapped his hand to his forehead, exasperated.
"Nope! Found them!"
"Well, let's get a move on, then!"
"They can't start without me, Jimmy."
"Yeah, tell that to Syd. If you're late, she's going to hurt both of us." Trivette said, leading Gage out the door.
Erika and Julie helped ease Sydney's wedding gown over her head and then helped to button the row of buttons up the back. When Sydney stepped back in front of the mirror, she was speechless. She had tried it on in the dress shop, but that didn't compare to the image she saw looking back at her in the mirror. This new dress was nothing like the one she had first chosen, but she had to admit that its simple lines were more her style. From the cap sleeves and lacy, fitted bodice adorned with clusters of sequins and tiny pearls to the long taffeta skirt that draped and flared softly, the dress she found on a rack at a dress shop Alex recommended seemed to be custom-made for her.
"Oh, my," was all she could say when she finally spoke.
"You look stunning," Julie commented. "I can't wait to see the look on my brother's face when he sees you!"
From down the hall, they could two-year-old Angela crying. Her cries grew louder and more intense until it was apparent that the feisty toddler was in the throes of a full-blown tantrum.
"Uh-oh. " Erika cringed. "I think Alex was dressing Angela. Doesn't sound like it's going well. Maybe I should go help."
"Sydney," Julie approached her soon-to-be sister-in-law. "I brought this for you."
Julie held out a worn, blue velvet bag. "I thought you could wear them today, maybe as your something old?"
Sydney opened the bag to find a three-strand pearl choker. "Julie! This is gorgeous!"
"It was our mother's," Julie explained. "I think Francis told you about the aunt that wanted to take us in but could only afford one of us? When she passed away, she left her estate, what little there was of it, to me. What she did have were these pearls and a picture of Mom on her wedding day. She was wearing them. I had hoped to wear them when I got married, but since that hasn't happened yet, I thought it was only fitting that you should have them."
"Tell you what, Julie, how about I consider them my something borrowed, too, and I'll give them back so you can wear them on your wedding day. Fair enough?"
Julie nodded and Sydney hugged her, so happy that she and Julie had become friends as well as sisters.
Erika and Alex came back in the room with a pouting, red-faced Angela in tow. Angela was dressed in a frilly white dress with a navy sash that matched the navy blue dresses Alex, Erika, and Julie wore. She had lacy white socks and white patent leather shoes to match and looked simply adorable. Sydney knelt down beside her, kissed her forehead and told her she looked just like a princess. Angela broke her pout for a moment and smiled up at Sydney.
"Aunt Sydee, Unca Gades said I can be Batman!"
"Oh, he did, huh?"
"Yep. Batman!"
Alex laughed. "It was the only way she'd stop throwing a fit."
Alex then noticed the pearl choker around Sydney's neck. "Oh my goodness! What a beautiful set of pearls!"
Sydney explained the story behind them. "So now I have my something old and something borrowed, and my dress is my something new. All I need is something blue."
"Which would be this," Erika handed her a blue satin and lace garter, "And don't forget the lucky penny for your shoe!" she added, handing her a shiny new penny that Sydney dropped into her shoe.
"Well, girls? Let's go get me married!" Sydney grabbed her bouquet of ivory roses off the dresser and all but ran out the door.
Gage, Walker, and Trivette were waiting on the porch of Walker's house. Gage had adjusted his tie about ten times and had asked Trivette if he had the rings at least twenty times.
"Gage, relax. I have them. I didn't lose them in the last five minutes!" Trivette fussed back at him.
"I can't help it. I'm nervous. I've never gotten married before."
"Well, there's nothing to it," Walker told him. "All you have to do is make sure you don't do anything to take the attention off the bride."
Gage was still for a few minutes and then a thought occurred to him.
"Hey, guys. Syd still does want to marry me, right?"
"Of course she does!" Trivette replied. "In fact, I'm going to check on the girls right now and make sure Syd didn't run out the back!" He and Walker both laughed.
"That's not funny, Trivette!"
Trivette went into the house, leaving Walker and Gage on the porch.
"Walker, I want to thank you for all you've done for Syd and me for today. This means more to us than you'll ever know."
"Alex and I are more than happy to do this, Gage. You and Sydney are a part of our family."
"And I wanted to apologize to you for the things I said that day we went to the reservation. I know you never would have intentionally put Syd in any kind of danger. I was just worried about her. I should have known better," Gage said, his voice serious.
"I understand, Gage. No harm was done. It was a hard thing to do, not being able to tell you what was going on, but I needed to keep Syd and you safe."
"I know. I'm really sorry for not seeing that back then."
"I'm really sorry for all the pain it caused you, making you think she was gone," Walker said regretfully.
"It's okay, Walker. I'm just happy she's back, and I don't plan to let her out of my sight ever again."
Gage held out his hand, waiting for Walker to accept it in a handshake. Instead, Walker hugged the junior ranger.
Finally, it was time to walk down the aisle. Waiting outside the tent as the music played and her friends walked down the aisle between the tables, Sydney closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of the events that had led to this day.
"Everything okay, Syd?" Walker asked.
"Everything's fine," she replied, taking Walker's arm as they stepped inside the tent and waited as Angela walked down the aisle toward her mother, dropping flower petals carefully as she went to a chorus of oooh's and ahhh's from the guests.
Then the music changed and everyone stood as Walker escorted Sydney down the aisle to give her away.
"Oh, wow," Gage breathed the moment he first saw Sydney in her wedding dress. She was absolutely radiant. When they reached the front of the tent, Gage took Sydney's hand from Walker's and leaned over to give her a quick kiss, much to the amusement of Judge Lockard.
"Just a minute, young man. That part comes at the end of the ceremony!" Lockard admonished while the guests twittered with laughter.
"Sorry, Judge, I just couldn't help myself," Gage apologized with a big grin.
The judge welcomed their guests and spoke a bit about love and commitment. He then asked for Sydney and Gage to recite their vows to each other. Sydney spoke first.
"Francis, from the moment we met, I knew my life would never be the same. Finding you was like finding the missing piece to my puzzle. We've been perfect partners at work, and I couldn't ask for a more perfect partner to spend the rest of my life with. Whatever our future has in store for us, as long as we have each other, we can get through it because we are strongest together. You are my happily ever after and I will love you for all the rest of my days."
Gage raised the back of Sydney's hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across it before he spoke.
"Sydney, when I was faced with the thought of living my life without you, I realized just how empty my life would be, and just how much I wouldn't want to face a future without you in it. You are all I have ever dreamed of, and when I fell in love with you, I fell heart and soul. All I have ever wanted to do is protect you, take care of you, keep you safe, and make you happy. For as long as I live, I promise to do just that and to love you with all I have."
Sydney smiled up at Gage, tears of joy welling up and spilling over from her deep brown eyes. Gage cupped her face with his hands and brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, feeling overcome with emotion himself.
Judge Lockard continued, and the couple before him said their I do's and placed the rings on each other's fingers.
"And with the power vested in me by the great state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now, Francis, now you may kiss your bride!" Judge Lockard finished, smiling at Gage, knowing that the handsome young ranger in front of him had been anxiously waiting for this moment.
Wrapping one arm around Sydney's slender waist and tilting her chin up to him with his other hand, Gage bent to meet Sydney's sweet lips with his as her arms encircled his neck. For a moment, it seemed to Gage that nobody else was anywhere around; just him and Sydney and that long-awaited, perfect kiss that sealed their union, and he was completely fine with that.
Sydney and Gage shared their first dance surrounded by the small gathering of friends and family. As she swayed to the sound of George Strait's voice in the arms of the man she had fallen in love with in a dingy apartment on the first day of a nine-month undercover assignment long ago, Sydney thought to herself that this was what blissful happiness felt like.
Later, after their guests had been greeted and thanked, a delicious dinner had been enjoyed, and the cake had been cut, Sydney and her bridesmaids shared a moment together while watching her new husband twirling Angela around on the dance floor. The tiny flower girl was now sporting miniature Batman ears over her curly blond hair and a little black cape was tied over her frilly white dress.
"How did he talk both of you into that?" Julie asked Alex and Sydney, laughing as she pointed her camera at her brother and the giggling toddler.
"If it got Angela to quit crying this morning, I would have let her walk down the aisle in the whole costume if Sydney would have been okay with it," joked Alex.
"Sometimes you just have to compromise," Sydney added.
"Well, that is the most adorable thing ever! Please tell me you plan on having babies with that man," Erika teased.
"Oh, I do," Sydney smiled, "Starting tonight!"
"Sydney!" all three women exclaimed, giggling like schoolgirls.
Gage walked over to the women carrying Angela on his shoulder. "Alex, I think my dance partner had a little too much dancing," he said as he handed the yawning child over to her mother.
He then turned to Sydney, holding out his hand. "Do you want to dance?"
"I thought you didn't like to dance." Sydney teased.
"Only with some people." Gage replied with a smile.
Sydney took his hand and followed him out onto the dance floor.
"Happy wedding day, Mrs. Gage," he said, kissing her softly.
"Happy wedding day to you, too," Sydney replied, kissing him back.
"I'm sorry you didn't get your dream wedding, Syd."
Sydney stopped him before he could continue. "You know, Gage, I don't know what I was thinking. All those months of planning for that big wedding, and today was the wedding I had wanted all along. Nothing could have been more perfect."
"Really?"
"Really. Just you and me and our closest friends and family. That was all we really needed. And funny thing is, it didn't matter if it was a big wedding or a small wedding. I still get to be married to the most wonderful man at the end of the day."
Gage bowed his head to kiss Sydney, thinking she was pretty wonderful herself.
"I love you, Shorty."
"I love you more, baby." Sydney replied, standing on tiptoe to wrap her arms around Gage's neck and kissing her new husband one more time.