AN: For obvious reasons, I will never have them eating pork, of any kind.

At this point, there's just under 50 characters in this. Forget suites at this point, assume they've been given a couple of floors with them communing in one big suite as a common room with the Core 5, their SOs, and Eddie in that big suite. And no, I'm not going to be hyper-developing all 30 piglets. Way too many. I'm going to pick a couple of them, couple boys and a couple girls and focus on them. Not everyone can BE a main character.

Oh, a comment challenge: Based on what you've read so far, which Fantasy roles could you see the cast taking on in a D or Final Fantasy inspired show for the opening of the next theater season?

Part 46

At 6am, Johnny's phone alarm went off. "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day…" He moaned and turned off his alarm before rolling over to gaze into his lover's eyes. "Merry Christmas, husband-to-be." He kissed him tenderly before sinking into his arms. At that moment, he was so content, he just wanted to stay like this for as long as possible.

Ryan sighed, stroking his hair. They knew traditionally they should be in separate rooms. It was bad luck but he couldn't sleep without Johnny beside him. He needed his naturally intoxicating, vanilla-like musk and the sound of his breathing to relax. "Merry Christmas, husband-to-be," he returned the greeting.

A knock came at the door. "Boys, you need to get up and have some breakfast before you get ready." Rosita called and she cracked the door to let the smell of turkey sausage come through.

Ryan sat up reluctantly, aroused by the smell of food. "Just a few more hours…" he said to give them both the motivation to get moving.

Johnny got out of bed and put on his Christmas pajamas. Rosita had bought them all Christmas pjs. Johnny's set was green with white snowflakes and reindeer while Ryan's was red.

Ryan watched him with a loving smile on his face. "You go on out. I'll be right there." He promised. He got up and went into the bathroom. He thought about the dreams he had the night before, wondering if he should tell Johnny.

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The dream had started like most dreams do. Exploring the jungle with Johnny on hunt for a mythical macguffin that he couldn't readily remember the name of. Until they entered a golden temple and they were back in the hotel bedroom. Or rather, Ryan was. Johnny was gone. He looked around desperately for his lover, wondering where he'd lost him.

"Johnny? Johnny!" His breath was starting to quicken.

"It's alright, Ryan. He's alright," a voice made him turn. Wearing a deep red suit with his light green bow tie, the little producer sat on the edge of the bed. He stumbled back into a nearby chair.

"What the fuck, dude?" He took a few minutes to regain his breathing. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that!"

The koala laughed. "Forgive me. We didn't get to formally meet before. I'm Buster Moon."

Ryan nodded. "Hi… Should I be worried? Is this some sort of It's a Wonderful Life parody?"

"Oh no, I hate that movie. Way too depressing with not enough of a payoff at the end," Buster smiled. "I wanted to thank you. For taking care of Johnny. For comforting him and loving him. I know you will be very happy together."

The tiger blushed. "I think so too. I love him very much. I'm sorry for what happened but…. I should thank you. For making them come here so we could meet. I can't imagine life without him."

Buster smiled. "I don't regret coming to Redshore City for anything. And if some good came from… it… then it was completely worth it. Destiny is a funny thing. There's no warning. Remember that, Ryan. Be grateful for every moment and cherish each other and true happiness is yours for the taking."

Ryan nodded. "Thank you. I promise, I'll take good care of him. I won't waste a single moment that we have together."

The koala looked out the clock. "Your alarm will go off in a few minutes, so I have to go. Again, thank you for being there for him."

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That was when the alarm went off. Ryan wondered if it was just a dream or if he really just had a conversation with a ghost. Whichever, he wouldn't forget the advice he was given. And it felt good to think he had the koala's blessing.

He put on his green pajamas and went out to the kitchen where Sitara was serving up a big breakfast while Clay played with kids around the tree.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," he said as he got a cup of hot coffee before sitting beside Johnny and resting his head on his shoulder.

Porsha laughed at them. "Are you getting excited?"

Johnny nodded. "I've been excited." He sighed with a content grin. He held Ryan gently as the tiger pretended to sleep on his shoulder.

"Johnny, did you keep Ryan up all night again?" Nooshy asked teasingly, earning a bagel playfully tossed in her face.

Rosita smiled as they ate. She looked at the large ragtag family interspaced around the hotel suite living room. Gunter and Eddie were deep in conversation and every so often they'd both laugh at some joke she couldn't hear, though she heard Buster's name come up intermittently. Ash and Lance played with his kids. Meena and Alphonso helped her mother serve breakfast. Her children played with the new toys though Caspar seemed very sedate. He kept looking at the door as if he expected it to open.

She went to her son and sat beside him. "Don't you want to play?"

He looked up at her and she saw the tears shining in his young eyes. "Mr. Moon isn't coming… is he?" He asked. Out of all of her children, Caspar had looked up to Mr. Moon most. He always wanted to sit with Mr. Moon at the shows and showed real interest in the job he did. Out of all her children, he was most likely to go into the theater business himself.

She hugged him gently. "I know you miss him, sweetie. But you know, if you remember how much you loved him and how much he loved you and all of us, then… he's always here. Even though you can't see him."

He cried softly into his mother's arms. She didn't know why it was so easy to say the words. She still felt Mr. Moon's death very deeply. It hurt less but the hurt was still there. "It's okay to cry honey. Mommy still cries too…" She pulled away so he could see her own tears.

A knock came at the door and Gunter got up to answer it. "Nana! Merry Christmas! You too, Jerry." He stepped aside to let them in. "Nice outfit." He referred to Jerry's new green suit with a snowflake embroidered on the breast pocket.

Jerry nodded. "Merry Christmas and thanks. Mama gave it to me for Christmas. I'm her assistant now." He explained. He couldn't completely live off her generosity forever. He was a workaholic. He lived to work and earn his living, a trait instilled in him by his grandmother who never stopped working until the day she died. She had no desire to retire. He still wasn't trusted on his own as she still had to coax him to eat but working helped him get through it.

Nana smiled. "Merry Christmas everyone. Mr. Green, it's great to see you well and on your feet. Congratulations to you and Mr. Hunter."

Johnny returned her greeting. "Merry Christmas, ma'am. We need to start getting ready. Noon will come fast."

Marcus nodded. "Would you like help, son?" He asked.

"Sure, Dad," he replied. They went into his and Ryan's room.

Ryan looked at his parents. "My best man and I need to get ready too. Would you like to help?"

Jackson turned his head away while his mother stood up. "I'll help you, dear."

Klaus glared at the man. "Not necessary, I will assist you, Ryan." He looked at Katherine. "Too bad you didn't defend him this staunchly eight years ago." He and Alphonso went to help Ryan get ready.

Jackson huffed. "Katie, how long do you plan to pretend you approve?"

She grabbed him by his ear and yanked him to their own hotel room. "Jackson, I approve of our son being happy and healthy. I love our son no matter what he wants to do with his life or whom he wants to marry. I don't have to approve of the concept, but he doesn't need me to approve of that. He needs my love and my acceptance that it's his life to do with as he likes. Johnny's a nice young man. He saved our son nearly at the cost of his own life. He has a successful career and he treats our son with love and respect. He could have chosen far worse. Now you already cost me eight years with my child. You will not cost me anymore," she ordered him before going to get ready herself since her son didn't need her help. "If you can't at least be civil to our son-in-law, then you will stay here during the ceremony and you will be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future." She said from the bathroom.

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Johnny put on his blue leather tuxedo jacket and black slacks with black leather shoes. On his lapel, his father helped him to fix a red poinsettia with red holly berries. "Can you believe it, Dad? This is it. I'm getting married."

Marcus shook his head. "It's incredible. I'm so proud of you, my son." He hugged him, beaming with pride. "Your mother would be proud too. Ryan's a good lad. He'll be good to you or he'll face my wrath." He chuckled and ruffled his hair.

A knock came at the door. "I'm decent now, Meena," he called.

Meena came in with Rosita behind her. "You look great Johnny."

Rosita looked him over and nodded. "Such a handsome groom."

The elephant nodded. "And wait until you see Ryan." She wiped her eyes, smiling as big and wide as ever. "I'm so happy for you, Johnny," she said as she hugged him.

Johnny hugged her back and smiled. "Thanks Meena. You look great too." She wore an ankle-length sapphire blue dress with a lacy collar and bodice with matching bows in her hair tufts.

Rosita was dressed in a similar sapphire blue dress but hers went to the floor. "Are you ready, Johnny?" She asked. "We're going down to the chapel first. You're not allowed to see each other until the ceremony starts now."

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Begrudgingly, Jackson Hunter allowed his wife to pull him to the chapel. A red-headed saluki stood with Porsha and Nooshy. "Welcome, you must be the Hunters, I'm Suki Lane."

They shook her hand. "Thank you. I'm Katherine and this is my husband, Jackson. Yes, Ryan is our son." She looked at her son who was standing and talking with Alphonso and smiled.

Jackson kept his expression neutral to the best of his ability. "And how do you know our son?" He asked.

Suki replied, "Well in a professional capacity as the very temporary CEO of Crystal Entertainment. But I'm also engaged to Marcus Green. This is Porsha and Nooshy, our daughters. Can I show you to your seats?"

"Go ahead Katie," Jackson told her. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Katherine nodded and let the dog show her to a pew. Jackson waited until she was focused on conversing with the mother elephant and the famous lion. He turned and went to his son.

"Hey Dad, how do I look?" He modeled the suit for his father. "Look, I'm really glad you're here."

Jackson pulled Ryan aside. "Talk with me, boy. What is this all about? You cannot really be thinking of marrying this man."

Ryan nodded. "Yes, I'm marrying Johnny. I love him. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

"This isn't love, Ryan. It's an infatuation that will fade with time. And in a short time, you will wake up beside that gorilla and you will regret it. And by then, it's very difficult to fix it," the older tiger explained. "You've got to think this through."

"I have, Dad! I have given this a lot of thought. Johnny is my other half, he's my best friend and every day, I only love him more. Dad, please, I'm begging you to try and understand," Ryan said. "I almost lost him once and I was so afraid this would end up being a funeral and not a wedding. I love him!"

"Ryan, it's almost time!" Alphonso came over. "I'm about to walk down with Meena, then it'll be Johnny and his dad and Rosita. Then you and Klaus."

Jackson looked at the bull elephant. "You, I saw you reading a Bible this morning. Don't you have any objections?"

Alphonso laughed. "Don't ask my opinion, you won't like it. Go sit down." He herded the tiger back to his seat before joining Meena.

Ryan went to where Klaus was waiting in a navy blue suit. "Are you ready, son?"

Ryan nodded. "As I'll ever be." He took his arm and started the walk down the aisle, getting a look at the chapel for the first time.

At the front of the chapel was a giant Christmas tree, decorated splendidly. The pews were adorned with ribbons. Even fake snow rained down on them from above.

Ash was on the stage playing her guitar. "I'm feeling the la-la-love. La-la-love. You make me feel alive, true love you can deny. I'm feeling that dream come true, here with you, and love is around us too. Ooo and I feel the love."

The officiant, an old black panther, with a little snow on the roof, waited at the front of the chapel, under the tree. Johnny's father and Rosita stood beside him while Klaus walked Ryan to the tree.

Johnny's mouth was hanging open. And for good reason. Ryan had chosen a deep, true red suit with a black satin peak lapels. On the lapel was pinned a red poinsettia with holly berries like Johnny's. Atop his head sat a red velvet top hat. He was so handsome and soon he'd be all his.

"Christmas is a time of celebration, a time to cherish the ones that we love. In the spirit of Christmas, we gather here today to join in wedlock, Johnny Green and Ryan Hunter," the black panther gestured to them. "Who presents these gentlemen to be wed?"

"I, Marcus Green," Marcus spoke up. "His father and Rosita Suarez in his mother's place gladly give Johnny Green to Ryan Hunter."

Klaus nodded. "And I, Klaus Kickenklober, with my best wishes, give Ryan Hunter to Johnny Green."

The three "parents" stepped aside and sat in the front pew. The officiant resumed speaking. "Love is one of the most special and powerful forces in this world. It can empower a mother to lift a vehicle off of her child. It can make someone do something terribly foolish or it can lead to the greatest happiness that one can experience. If anyone can give just cause as to why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.

Ryan felt his heart stop when he saw his father stand up out of the corner of his eye. His mother reached up and pulled him back down into his seat, hissing something into his ear. Marcus heard the commotion and turned to glare at the tiger. Jackson stood back up and glared back and pushed his way out of the pew to stomp out. He sighed and smiled back at Johnny. He would not let him ruin this day. He did watch Marcus get up and follow him.

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Jackson stood outside the chapel, fuming. His son was about to make the biggest mistake of his life and he was just supposed to sit back and watch?

"So, this is your choice?" Marcus announced his presence. "Your son walked out on you once and was willing to forgive you and include during this time of his life. If you walk out now, you will lose him forever."

"I can't stay! If he wants to disgrace himself and ruin his life, then fine. But I will not watch him do so! That boy in there is not my son!" He left the chapel, taking the elevator up.

Marcus shook his head. That was him five years ago and could be him now. He sighed and went back to his seat, shaking his head sadly at Ryan.

Ryan shook his head back. It didn't matter. His father was never going to come around. It was okay. He'd said his goodbyes eight years ago. At least his mother was there.

The officiant resumed speaking again. "Ryan and Johnny have chosen to write their own vows. Ryan, if you would…"

The tiger took a set of notecards from Alphonso. "Johnny, when I saw you in the classroom the day so many months ago, I knew you were special. And I was right. You are the kindest, gentlest, strongest, most soulful man I have ever known. You love with every fiber of your being. You almost lost your life to save mine. You have the biggest, most forgiving heart and you have generously allowed me a place within it. And I vow to you that I will strive to be worthy of that place and I will spend the rest of my life loving you and protecting you." He held the gorilla's hand.

Johnny wiped his eyes and took his own cards from Meena. "Please, remember, Ryan had a month to write his vows. I had three days." Everyone laughed at his admission. "Ryan, when I learned you would be my partner for the dance battle, I was so nervous. I was already struggling with the moves and… but you didn't mind when I missed the steps or fell. You cheered me on when someone forcibly took your place." Everyone glanced at Klaus who had the grace to appear sheepish. "When I thought I would never be happy again, when I was lost in the depths of grief, you were there to hold me and pull me out before I drowned. I love you Ryan and I promise you that I will always be there for you. To comfort you in your lowest lows and rejoice with you in your highest highs until the day I die."

The panther needed to wipe his eyes. "Well, both of those speeches were remarkably moving. Can we have the rings please?"

Ryan took one ring from Alphonso. "Johnny, with this ring, I promise you all of me. Everything that makes me who I am. I will be yours, always." He slipped the fourteen karat white gold wedding band with a striking center of alternating round-cut diamonds and round natural red garnets around his right ring finger to join his engagement ring.

Johnny took the other ring from Meena. It was almost identical except the stones were sapphires and diamonds. "Ryan, with this ring, I promise you all of me. Everything that makes me who I am. I will be yours, always." He put the ring on Ryan's finger.

The panther smiled. "By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada and Redshore City, I now pronounce husband and husband. You may now kiss the…. Well you may now kiss each other." Everyone applauded as the tiger and gorilla kissed deeply. "Now, I have the great pleasure of introducing you all, for the first time, to Mr. and Mr. Hunter-Green!"

AN: It was suggested for them to have a couple piglets in the wedding but I had to remember that this is essentially a Vegas chapel wedding where they may not have the room or time for big wedding parties. Vegas wedding chapels are about volume business, the more weddings they can do in a day, the more money they make. But there we have it. Johnny and Ryan have tied the knot. And Marcus has seen what his relationship with his son could have been like if he hadn't learned his lesson. So two of our main characters have their happily ever after. What about Ash and Lance? What does their future hold? And what of Gunter, the member of the Core 5 that I've given the least attention to because holy moly, he's the one they give the least attention to in canon! If you have any ideas for what I should do with Gunter, please speak.