3rd September, 2026
Our House
San Francisco, CA. America
Again I found myself being woken up by the soft sounds of a woman speaking Polish. This time I could make out what she was saying.
"Wszystkiego najlepszego Łukasza. Kocham cię," Ela's voice told me and I felt her give me a kiss. I thought about how to respond for a moment and decided to test Ela's German ability.
"Ich liebe dich auch," I said without opening my eyes.
"I'll let that one slide birthday boy. Forget how to respond in Polish, didn't you?" she said. I opened my eyes and saw her sitting up in bed giving me a smile. I sat up and shrugged.
"Guilty," I said. "Probably should get some more lessons from Zofia." Ela cocked her eyebrow.
"Why her and not me? She won't do this whenever you get something right," Ela said and placed my hand under her shirt on one of her breasts.
"Same reason you go to my sister to learn German," I answered but gave her breast a loving squeeze. She sighed contentedly before leaning over and kissed me again.
"Strange, thought I was going to get lucky tonight," I joked. Ela responded by removing her shirt and pants.
"Wrong. You're getting lucky now too," she said and reached her hand down my pants.
"Oh come on, I just woke up!" I said as she began to rub my dick.
"Don't care. Mine," she said and…you can probably guess what happened after that. We even showered together too. Afterwards, I got dressed and checked my phone for any messages. Sure enough, I had a good chunk. Had one from my other brother, Richter, and sister, Julia. Julia recently got married herself. Ela and I had flown to Germany to attend. That was back before Derrick proposed to Tina. Oh wait! It happened to be right around the time of the Tournament of Champions that year! The first one after Derrick's recovery! That's right! Julia married the same guy I met that Christmas before joining Rainbow. Apparently, the guy was one of her old friends in college and they had reconnected. Nice. Tina and Derrick had sent a video. It looked like it was Derrick and Zoey. I pressed play. The video began with Zoey being held by Derrick with Tina operating the camera.
"Ok sweetheart, did you wanna tell Uncle Ookuss Happy Birthday?" Tina's voice said. Zoey looked at Derrick and then to the camera. She smiled and then said "Ookuss!" I smiled.
"Happy Birthday bud. I'll see you later today at work. Think Layna wants to view your new designs," Derrick said.
"Happy Birthday Lukas!" Tina said and then the video ended. As I was going through the other messages on my phone, my mom called me. Think it was about 4pm in Germany right about now so I picked up the phone.
"Hallo Mami," I said in German
"Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Schmusebärchen!" my mother's voice said also in German. I'll do the rest of the conversation in English just in case you don't know German. Quick translation, my mom said Happy Birthday and called me the name she called me when I was little. It means "little cuddle bear." If you tell Derrick about that, I will end you. Understand?
"Thanks mom," I said. "How are you and Dad?"
"We're fine honey. Dad's been golfing with his friends a lot lately when he's not, you know, 'bringing new innovations to the world courtesy of Germany'" she said. Context, my dad is an inventor and mainly focuses on car features. My mom is a mathematician working at Leipzig University. Growing up, I had the most difficulty in other subjects that weren't music compared to my other siblings and my mom would often be the one helping me with my homework whenever Monika was away. She never ever got mad at me for not getting stellar math grades like Monika. All she wanted for me to do was to try my best. Whenever I did get 100% on a test, she'd often take me out for ice cream.
"Sounds like dad. What are you doing whenever you aren't working Mom?" I asked.
"Same old really. Reading and playing the piano. How are you and your girlfriend? What's her name again? Elena?" she asked.
"Ela. Speaking of which, have you checked the mail lately?" I said. Surely the invitations had arrived by now. I was looking at the framed one on the couch end table. It read;
Together with their families and friends,
Elżbieta Krystyna Bosak
Lukas Elias Weiss
Invite you to their wedding on 12th September, 2026
At Two o'clock in the evening
Terra Gallery and Event Venue
San Francisco, California. United States.
Reception to follow
You'd think that Ela wasn't ok with all the formalness. You're half right. I think Tina convinced her to do the whole invitation thing for my family's sake. Ela didn't have much of her family left other than Zofia but she still knew some family friends that she had invited.
"No I haven't…oh wait here it is….What….WHAT?!" my mom yelled. I heard my dad from another part of the house. "What's wrong Emi?"
"Tobias, Lukas is getting married too!" my mom yelled. I grinned.
"I'm pretty sure Richter got your tickets already," I explained as Ela came down the stairs holding a wrapped package.
"Wonderful! We'll see you then honey. Enjoy your birthday!" My mom hung up after that and I turned to Ela who gave me the package. It felt like a framed portrait. I smiled and opened it while eating the rest of my breakfast. It turned out to be a portrait as I expected. It was a drawing of what looked like me as Spider-Man (without the mask) swinging on a web over a city. In my other arm, I was holding Ela who was wearing the clothes of Mary Jane Watson. We were looking at each other with smiles on our faces. This one was also colored as opposed to Ela's other work which was just black and white. On a rooftop, I saw Derrick as Gambit and Tina as Rouge.
"Thanks babe," I said and opened my arm to give her a hug. She leaned into it.
"That's part 1. You get the other one tonight. After we go to the wedding planner," she said. I nodded. Being as our wedding is in about a week, Ela wanted to make sure everything was ready. I know it seems rather quick to get married as I proposed at the end of July but our wedding wasn't going to be as big as Derrick's. We had invited all of our friends, my parents and siblings and some people Ela and Zofia knew growing up. Not everyone was going to make the ceremony which was fine but they were invited to the reception.
"You figure out what song you want to dance to? Or do you want me to pick?" I asked.
"As much as I like Iron Maiden, I don't want to dance to that at our wedding," Ela answered.
"Fair,"
"Tina gave me some ideas,"
"Oh? You're finally starting to realize the value of having friends are you?" I asked. Ela slapped me.
"Shut up dork," she said as I started to hum an old 90s R&B song. Ela closed her eyes as I continued.
"That one. Whatever it was. I want to dance with you to that song," she said.
"Whatever you say Mrs. Weiss"
12th September, 2026
Terra Gallery and Event Venue
San Francisco, CA. America
I stood near the back entrance of the venue with the rest of my groom's party. It consisted of the usual suspects. Jordan, Dom, Elias, Marius and Craig. Derrick of course was the best man. Ela's bridal party consisted of Tina, Monika, Meghan, Sanaa and Eliza. You already know that her Maid of Honor was Zofia and seeing her in a dress is a lot more weird than seeing her in swimwear. I think this is one of a handful of times I've seen her without her sunglasses either. She and Ela look almost identical but Ela's skin is a little paler. To answer your question as to who was watching little Zoey as her parents and aunts were part of the wedding party, I could see the top of her head while she was snoozing in Elena's arms. Oh yeah, since a good amount of the guests know both of us, we didn't do that traditional "bride and groom" side thing during the ceremony either. People could sit wherever they wanted. My parents and other siblings had arrived about 2 days ago and planned to stay a few days after the wedding too. My niece, Anna, was the flower girl. She was about 6. Her brother, Stefan, was the ring barer. He was 8. Both of them were Richter's kids. My other sister, Julia, has a baby girl named Hannah. I could see her snoozing against Julia's shoulder from the back. Derrick and Zofia were having a small chat while I waited for the last of the guests to be seated.
"It's nice to see that you two are getting along better now," Derrick was saying.
"I agree. She tells me your daughter is pretty much in love with her," Zofia answered.
"Yeah. I think it's her green hair. Zoey loves seeing bright colors. Hey hey! There's the big man!" Derrick said and clapped me on the shoulder. Zofia smiled at me.
"Jana often tells me she likes having someone like you in her life. She hasn't forgotten that one day," she said. Hmm…I still have time. I'll tell you what she's referring to.
This was about a few years ago before the whole Chimera Parasite thing. Ela and I were watching Jana as Zofia and Andrzej were taking a well deserved date night. Jana wasn't quite old enough to be home alone yet. Ela and I were watching her swing on one of the swings in the empty park near our house. Everything was going fine (except the weird looks I was getting from certain people for some fucking reason) up until Ela said she had to go use the bathroom and then left to go do so. During that time, I watched Jana jump off the swing but she botched the landing. Looked like she had sprained her ankle. I immediately ran over to help her as she was crying.
"Hey hey, it's ok," I told her. Jana continued to cry but held onto me for comfort.
"Where does it hurt?" I asked. Jana pointed to her ankle. I went to touch it gingerly before being interrupted by someone's voice.
"HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing to that little girl?!" they yelled. I turned to see someone that looked like they got involved with other people's business all the time.
"Hurensohn…" I muttered as they made their way over to me. I was essentially shoved away from Jana, who just cried louder.
"Uncle Lukas! That's my Uncle Lukas! Don't shove him!" she cried.
"Oh so you're her uncle, a likely story! Why the hell were you touching this young lady?"
"Gee, I don't know. Could it be that she hurt herself? And she trusts me to administer first aid?" I responded, feeling myself getting rather angry.
"Wow, assaulting a young girl in broad daylight. That's low pal. Real low," they shot back. Meanwhile Jana was still crying and reaching out to me. Then I saw her eyes widen and her face turned from being sad to being a little less sad. I turned around to see why. Ela had returned. And it looked like she had seen what happened. The look on her face was murderous.
"Ah good, are you this girl's mother? You look similar," the asshole asked.
"No. I'm her aunt. The man who you just actually assaulted, is my boyfriend. Essentially her uncle," Ela said menacingly. "You have about 30 seconds to walk away." The asshole ignored her.
"Little girl, has the tall blonde headed man touched you in any of your no no areas?" they asked Jana. This time Jana got angry, wrenched her arm out of this person's grasp, got up and limped over to me.
"Uncle Lukas would never do that to me," she responded and grabbed onto my arm.
"Come on little girl, you can tell me. I too was assaul-"
"FIFTEEN," Ela interrupted and cracked her knuckles. "Leave. NOW." This time, the asshole got the point and skedaddled. Jana spoke to Ela next.
"All I did was hurt my ankle. Uncle Lukas came to see if I was ok then that person showed up. Why were they obsessed with whether or not Uncle Lukas touched me?" she asked Ela.
"Some people don't know that no one ever asks for their opinion on matters that don't concern them," Ela responded while glaring at the asshole's back. Ela had apparently told Zofia later that night because I got a text message from Zofia that said "Thank you for looking out for Jana. She really likes you." The next day, Monika had been informed of what happened by either Zofia or Ela and I overheard her talking with Meghan about it.
"I don't understand it. Look at him. He might be tall and muscular but I know he would make a good father or uncle to anybody," Monika said.
"I know Süße. He comes off as a gentle giant. Honestly, he reminds me of Hagrid from Harry Potter…or Valhallen," Meghan answered. Oh great. I sense I'm about to get a new nickname.
"Who's Valhallen?" Monika asked but Meghan had already pulled up a picture of Valhallen on her phone. Monika took one look at it and then started to giggle.
"Beware the Viking God of ROCK dude," I said in my best "surfer dude" voice. That got Monika and Meghan to both jump. But yeah, that's what Zofia was referring to. Let's get back to that shall we?
Speaking of Jana, she was with Ela as of right now. No idea why. Didn't have much of a chance to do anything else as the ceremony began. It played out very similar to Derrick's. Except I was the first to walk down the aisle with my parents. Before you ask, yes my hair was a bit shorter than it usually is. It went just past my shoulder blades and hung loosely rather than in a ponytail. My dad looked like an older version of my brother. A handsome blonde German man in his late 60s. He had his facial hair styled the same way as usual, a semi short goatee with a soul patch. My mom on my other side looked almost like a combination of me and Monika. She had Monika's physique (for a woman in her 60s, she looked amazing) but my facial structure. She was more of a dirty blonde like Julia and she too wore glasses. When we got to the front, both of them gave me a hug and then sat next to Richter and Julia. My little niece Hannah (who was about a year older than Zoey) reached for my mom and said "Oma!" in a small voice. My mom took her from Julia and turned her to face me. Hannah waved and I waved back. She was the spitting image of her mother. Dirty blonde hair, Julia's eyes and her father's smile. Richter was on her other side next to his wife. He looked more like my father than I did except he had more of a Van Dyke facial hair style. He and Julia had pretty high paying jobs in Germany. Richter worked at the same place my dad did and Julia was an editor for a fashion magazine. Both of them had been asked if they were related to "that guy from Time Warp that shreds on the guitar" a few times. Andrzej was sitting near the front too. Pretty much right in front of Zofia. He didn't often display emotions, but I could tell he was happy. Derrick was now making his way down the aisle in a way that may surprise you. As in, he wasn't acting like a complete clown for once. Zoey had noticed him and waved. Derrick waved back. Zoey giggled and said "Layna!" Elena smiled back and then said "Shhh, little one." Zoey obeyed. The groomsmen and bridesmaids followed after that (Zoey waved at Tina when she saw her) and then Zofia. Anna and Stefan followed suit. Both of them looked a little scared but their fears were alleviated when they saw Derrick and I standing next to each other. Stefan handed the 2 rings to Derrick who then did the Power Rangers morphing pose to get on Stefan's good side even more.
"Do you know where Jana is?" I whispered to Derrick as he got back to his position. I only asked him cause I was currently nervous as FUCK. Derrick didn't answer. He just stood there with his "Loki Smile." I decided to ask Zofia but she too was giving me quite the smirk. That was kind of scary to be honest.
"Please rise," the minister said and everyone did so. I looked to the back of the hall and found out where Jana was. She was escorting Ela down the aisle. What the hell man?! That wasn't in the rehearsal.
"Got him," Derrick's voice said from my left. I wanted to give him a "dude really" look but I couldn't take my eyes off the woman making her way towards me. Yes, she was in a wedding dress, although it was more of a, I guess lower cut? I don't know. I'm a dude. It was a white dress right? But it didn't go all the way to the floor. It went to about her knees. She even had her leather jacket slung across her shoulders. The same one she was wearing when she kissed me for the first time. That got me. I clenched my fist, brought it to my mouth and started silently losing it. I felt Derrick's hand on my shoulder.
"You're alright Skywalker," he said. Eventually, Jana and Ela got to the front of the aisle and the minister asked "Who presents this woman to be married to this man?"
"Her niece. Jana Bosak. Along with my mom and dad," Jana responded confidently. Ela (who I could tell was trying to hide her own crying) knelt down a little bit so that Jana could turn back the veil over Ela's face. Jana gave Ela one more hug before she held out Ela's hand to me. I walked down but before I took it, I knelt down to Jana's level and held out my arms. Jana smiled and walked into them giving me the best hug she could give someone.
"Don't hurt her," she whispered to me.
"Trust me, I won't," I managed to say back. Jana went to go sit next to her father. He kissed the top of her head as she sat down. Ela was breathing deeply as if she was trying not to cry but I think seeing me lose it must have done it for her.
"G-gotcha. Dork," she managed to say as we walked back up the steps.
"Now that's not very nice," I said. Behind Zofia, I could see Monika (who had also lost it) being supported by Tina and Meghan (who was in a dress this time. I don't like it. It's weird). The minister started saying a few words of his own. Wasn't listening. He wasn't the gorgeous Polish woman who had for some reason agreed to marry a giant dork like me. About 10 or so minutes later, Derrick had tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the vows I had written. Like literally. No jokes.
"We picked winners for our wives eh?" he whispered. I nodded.
"I understand the couple has written their own vows. Mr. Weiss, if you would," the minister said and gestured to me. I took a deep breath and started to read.
"Ela, you mean the entire world to me. Whenever I see you smile, I'm reminded of the woman I fell in love with when she rescued me from some no good low lifes a few years ago. Although you first called me Weiss-enheimer, I still cherish the day you showed up at the old Portland base and just listened to me play music. I still have that drawing you did of me on my desk in the basement of our home together. I can see how excited you looked when you suggested we not watch a movie in the theater. Although you may need to put up with me and my trusted sidekick off to my left from time to time, I know you'll always love me. I promise that I will always love you as well. If you ever want me to sing you something after having a bad day, all you need to do is hand me one of my acoustic guitars. I would do anything to see you happy," I said. Over Ela's shoulder, I again saw Monika almost lose control. Zofia handed Ela a piece of paper of her own and she too began to read.
"Lukas, you simply are something else. I didn't think I would ever find someone I love as much as you. You helped me reconnect with my own family. You make me feel loved in ways I never thought possible. When I saw you walking into that stadium in Greece with your favorite band acting as your theme music, I knew that you were going to be mine one day. When I actually heard you play in person, I knew I wanted to ask you out. It was a little nerve wracking at the time. Someone like me having a crush on a musician that was really big on the East Coast. But you shared the same feelings I did. I don't know much in this world but I only know that I want to keep holding you...lie with you a hundred...no, a thousand more times. You were mine in 2023, and you will be mine forever." Ela said. I chanced a look at Derrick when she read the part about lying with me. Derrick was stunned. When I turned back, I saw Tina pulling the same expression. Why? Because Ela Bosak had just quoted one of my favorite pieces of fiction ever written during my fucking wedding. That's it. I win. I have the best partner on the entire planet. Derrick can eat my shorts. Ela saw that I had recognized the quote and smirked. Oh ok ! 2 can play this game! You still don't know the surprise I have in store for you later! Ela and I then proceeded to exchange wedding rings. Mine fit quite nicely as did Ela's. Then the minister asked if we took each other to be lawfully wed. Both of us agreed.
"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister instructed. He barely got done saying the word "bride" before Ela's lips were pressed against mine with a bit of ferocity. It felt she was marking her territory. She pulled away after a few seconds and continued to hold onto me. The minister smiled and then addressed the guests.
"Everyone, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Lukas Elias Weiss!"
12th September, 2026
Terra Gallery and Event Venue Ballroom
San Francisco, CA. America
Everyone transitioned to one of the ballrooms for the reception. My good friend Nate was the guy in the DJ booth yet again. He was currently introducing the groomsmen and bridesmaids while Ela and I stood off to the side. She was currently holding onto me as if I was the only source of warmth in the room. I watched Monika and Meghan sit at their table near my and Ela's. This would be the first time Meghan had met my parents and the rest of my family. I know what you're thinking, did any member of my family hate Monika for her sexuality? No. Well, not my parents or other siblings that is. Had a hyper religious and bigoted aunt but my mom hadn't talked about her in years. They were never close. I think she was my mom's half sister as my grandma was my grandpa's second and final wife. This is why my mom always taught her children to form strong sibling relationships.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, appearing again as husband and wife, Ela and Lukas Weiss!" Ela took my hand and together we walked into general applause and cheers. Zoey was being held by Tina and she was waving happily at the pair of us.
"First dance? First dance. Let's see, what song did Weiss pick to dance to his wife too…any guesses? Do I have Iron Maiden? Black Sabbath? OH, Helloween?! Wait…no…wow, really? Now THAT is a good one," Nate said as I placed my hand upon Ela's waist. The opening violin line of the classic song "All My Life" began to play. Over Ela's shoulder, I saw Derrick give me the thumbs up. Ela and I began swaying to the music when the singing began. Yes, this was the song I was humming that morning of my birthday. No idea why I had done so, but it seemed right. When I turned to face Nate, I saw him standing there with his arms crossed but he had given me the signal and motioned to his keyboard which was nearby. The same signal was given when I locked eyes with Derrick (except he looked down near the floor) and Andrzej. Both Tina and Zofia had shot their spouses confused looks. Monika, again, seemed to not be able to handle seeing her little brother be this loved by someone other than her. Meghan held her as she silently cried into her shoulder.
"What's that look for?" Ela whispered to me.
"You'll see," I whispered back. She raised her eyebrow at me but didn't press any more. The song ended a few moments later. Ela went to sit down but I held her in place. I took out a wireless microphone and said "Testing. Right, so I might have stolen this idea from my partner in mischief. But I'm putting my own spin on it. Plus, he's gonna help me." A few people gasped. Tina quickly looked to Derrick to say something but he was busy unzipping his guitar bag and taking out his acoustic guitar. He clamped a capo on the 1st fret and gave the thumbs up to Nate and me. Nate started playing the piano intro of the famous song "I Swear" and repeated it while I spoke to my wife. Derrick started to accompany Nate with his guitar. I could totally tell she was about to cry…and she did after she heard what I did next.
"Have to thank my sister Monika for teaching me the basics years ago and for my new brother in law for helping me learn this in Polish," I said and gave Nate a nod. Nate smiled back and led me into the first verse of the song. I looked back at Ela and started to sing the lyrics in Polish. Ela and I swayed in a circle as I sang. Over her shoulder I saw various guests looking at me with smiles on their faces. Especially my mom, Zofia, Zoey, Hannah and of course Monika. When I finished, Ela removed her face from my chest and sniffed.
"I mess up anywhere?" I asked. She shook her head.
"I love you so fucking much," she managed to whisper me in German. Perfect pronunciation no less!
"Hey, watch it! My mom's here," I replied. Ela giggled.
"Alrighty folks, that does it for the bride and groom dance. Who's hungry?" Nate announced before he joined his wife and kids along with Gavin and Jackie (and their families). Ela and I proceeded to sit at the head table and eat. Toasts were then exchanged. Derrick's consisted of a few retellings of our antics but what got me was how he had basically told everyone that I had helped save his life a few years ago and save his sister. He paraphrased of course because of our jobs but it was still quite touching. He really was my best friend. Zofia went next and relayed a few stories of her and Ela's childhood but she never mentioned any of the, I guess, "bad" parts of it. Mainly, she spoke about her grandfather and how much Ela loved his company. After dinner ended, it was time for my dance with my mom. She and I walked to the dance floor together as Nate queued up one of her favorite songs. You might be surprised when I tell you that it happens to be "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins. The German version too. Ela stood off to the side and watched my mom hold me as if I was still her little baby.
"You know that you will always be my little boy right," she whispered to me.
"I know Mami," I replied.
"Meghan seems like a nice woman. Does she treat Monika well?"
"Yes." The song ended a few minutes later and Nate spoke again.
"Alright! Mrs. Weiss, if you and your fa-" Nate quickly cut himself off when he noticed a few of us giving him the "shut up" signal. If you don't know, Ela's father committed suicide a few years back. He never got to see her be married. Ela never got to make amends with him. Ela meanwhile was looking at the ground with that angry expression she used to have whenever Zofia talked to her or was even mentioned in her presence. Suddenly, my dad walked over to her and held out his hand for a dance. She looked rather surprised as did Zofia.
"Nate, play something slow," he said before he led Ela onto the dance floor. Nate obeyed and the pair of them started dancing. I smiled. Ela, overwhelmed with emotion, cried into my dad's chest. That's when something caught my eye and almost made me shit my pants. I only saw it for a moment. I spied some movement from outside. It was a figure dressed in a white jacket along with a white mask. I blinked and he was gone. What in the god damn fuck was that?! Derrick saw my expression and followed my gaze and he flinched violently before rubbing his eyes in confusion. He then turned his attention back to Tina and Zoey who hadn't noticed anything. Over my shoulder I heard Monika gasp for some reason. When I looked in her direction, she too was looking out the window as if she saw someone out there. My dad and Ela stopped dancing and I approached them both. Zofia did too. Ela was still holding onto my father like he was her own dad. I heard my dad speaking to her in a low voice, "You can call me 'dad' if you would like."
"Ela, I know father would be happy to see you happy too. He might not have shown it often, but I knew he loved you," Zofia explained as Ela let my father go. Nate queued up some more dance tracks and people started to take the floor. Zofia and Ela continued to talk as I felt hands wrap around me and I immediately registered who they belonged to.
"Hi Monika," I said. "I'm happy you at least waited until later to be a complete mess." My dad turned to face us. Meghan happened to be nearby too. She looked at me and I registered the silent question.
"Yes, he speaks English very well. He worked in the States for a little bit when I was really little," I said. Meghan held out her hand to him. My dad smiled and shook her hand.
"You must be Meghan. Derrick's sister, yes? Monika has told us about you. I figured her heart would eventually belong to a woman and vice versa. She always had a small crush on Heidi Klum," he said.
"Papi!" Monika exclaimed, rather embarrassed. Meghan smiled.
"Rachael Leigh Cook," Derrick's voice said from nearby. Meghan's eyes widened before she looked over at him with her "Jesus Christ Derrick" look.
"Come, allow me to introduce you to my wife Meghan," my dad said and offered his hand. Meghan took it and the pair of them walked over to where my mom was sitting. The 3 of them started talking as Derrick rejoined Monika and I.
"Weird question…did you see someone standing outside?" he asked the both of us. Monika looked like she wanted to ask the same question.
"Yes actually," she said.
"Same," I answered as well. "What did you see? I saw someone in a white coat."
"I saw someone with a scared face," Derrick said.
"I saw a large figure with what looked like a handgun," Monika said. All 3 of us looked out the window again but there was nothing there.
"Weird…not important. Have fun buddy! Where's my little girl? There she is! Would you like to dance with me and Mommy?" Derrick said to Zoey who was nearby with Tina. Zoay said "Dada!" and laughed. Tina kissed Derrick when he approached and this time Zoey didn't cry. Instead she said something that sounded like "Love"...I think. Derrick's better at deciphering his daughter's speech. Ela eventually walked over to me and held onto my arm.
"She pass your test Mon?" I asked jokingly. Monika smiled before turning on "protective big sister mode."
"Ela, seriously, I will know if you hurt him," she said sternly.
"Don't worry Mon. Have you heard him sing to me?" Ela said and kissed my cheek.
"True. I should introduce Meghan to everyone else," Monika said and walked off to join Meghan. I looked into Ela's eyes again.
"Yes Lukas, this is the best day of my life. All because of you."