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Rebecca paces in front of the vanity, wringing her hands when someone knocks on her door. "Come in." She calls out as she tries to compose herself for whoever is about to enter, taking one last deep breath and allowing her arms to drop by her side. Emily pokes her head into the room and smiles as she takes the bride to be in. Rebecca's wedding dress is a simple white sheath dress that starts at the base of her neck and follows her curves where it is cut off right below her knees, the neckline and cap sleeves are designed with beautiful floral lace work that pops against her tan skin.
"You look beautiful." Emily gushes as she shuts the door behind her and makes her way deeper into the room. She is wearing a flowy royal blue dress with short sleeves that stops just above her ankles. Her silver hair is pinned up in a bun and silver and sapphire drop earrings adorn her ears.
"Thank you. So do you." Rebecca tries to return the compliment but Emily waves it away. "Could you zip up the back? I got the zip most of the way but I think it might've gotten stuck on some of the fabric in the back and I didn't want to force it."
"Of course, you should've called me, I could've been back here sooner." Emily dislodges the bunched fabric and zips the dress closed, securing the clasp at the very top of the neck. "Is there anything else I can help you with? I just came back to check with you first, and then I'm going to check with Tara. People are almost all here."
Rebecca bites her lip and assesses herself in the mirror one last time. "No, no, I think I'm ready…Blaugh!" She groans and shakes her hands out. "You'd think having done this before I wouldn't be so nervous."
"What are you nervous about?" Emily tilts her head to the side and places a hand gently on Rebecca's upper arm.
"Honestly, the vows." Rebecca laughs at herself and shakes her head gently, hoping to not mess up her carefully styled hair. "I can argue in the top courts of our country and be fine, but the idea of saying my vows in front of our friends and family is honestly terrible. At least I'll be able to hold Tara's hand through it all." She takes in a deep breath and releases it slowly. "You said you're about to go check in with Tara?"
"Yeah, just making sure she is also ready and then I'll grab you for the ceremony. Would you like me to ask someone to come sit in here with you or anything?"
"No, no. I'm fine. I've already kicked my mom out of here twice and that was when I was still getting my makeup done. The only person I'd really want in here is Tara but Penelope was appalled at the idea of the two of us getting ready together." Rebecca and Emily meet each other's eye with a chuckle. "Thanks for checking in, but I just want to get out there and get married."
Emily nods and squeezes Rebecca's hand once before heading across the hall to the room Tara is getting ready in. She can hear the bickering before she even knocks on the door.
"I swear Alvez, you are one comment away from getting uninvited to the wedding." Tara groans as she adjusts her suit jacket in the standing mirror for a fourth time.
"Come on, T. He's only just playing. It makes me feel better knowing that there is someone to bust your balls for me." Gabriel leans back against the sofa arm as he takes in his sister. Tara's satin pant suit looks strikingly white against her dark skin, the wide pant leg hitting the very top of her white heels. Underneath the fitted jacket, Tara has on a white mesh boned corset; her mother's pearls decorating her neck. Her hair is in a low bun with a couple loose curls framing her face.
Tara spins around to glower at her younger brother. "Gabriel, not today. You barely got an invite as it were." She scolds but then breaks out in a smile despite herself. "I'm glad you came."
"Well, you did promise me that I wouldn't be kidnapped and drugged this time, so I figured I could visit again." Gabriel jokes but winces when he sees how Tara's face falls. "I'm just messing, T. You know I wouldn't miss this for the world. Though I still wish you would've let me question Rebecca a little bit more. How do I know if she is really good for you?"
"Gabe, I love you, but there is no way that you would be able to find something out about her that she's somehow been able to keep a secret from me and my team. She's been vetted by the world's top profilers and Penelope."
"Besides, Rebecca is arguably too good for Tara." Luke adds, laughing when Tara flips him off. "Okay, okay. I'll go. I need to find my seat anyway."
"I'll come too." Gabriel hops up and gives his sister a kiss on the cheek. "You look great, just remember to breathe when saying your vows this time." He joins Luke at the door right as Emily knocks on it. Luke opens the door for his boss, letting her in with a smile before both men leave, shutting the door behind them.
"I hope they haven't been hassling you too much." Emily chuckles as she takes in Tara's look of annoyance.
Tara rolls her eyes but cracks another smile. "Like only brothers can." She jokes before turning back to the mirror and adjusting her jacket again. "This looks alright, right? I could've sworn it fit differently when I tried it on at my last fitting."
"You look amazing." Emily takes a step closer to the mirror. "Here, let me just…" She reaches up and centers the jacket on Tara's shoulders just slightly. "There, it's perfect."
Tara breathes out and smiles again. "Is it time?" She asks hopefully; she had thought that she'd be more nervous today, but the nerves have passed her by.
"Almost. I am just making sure that you are ready and then I'm going to get Rebecca and send your father back for you."
Tara and Rebecca discussed in length if Al would be walking Tara down the aisle, but Tara is glad that he is. "Yes, I am ready. I never thought I would be, but I am."
Al knocks on his daughter's door no more than ten minutes later. When Tara opens the door, he gasps and sweeps her into a hug. "You look so much like your mama, and I know she is looking down and smiling today."
"Thanks, daddy." Tara hugs him back, thinking back to who gave her the courage to propose in the first place. She blinks away the tears that are threatening to rise and pulls back. Al takes one last proud look at his daughter before taking her arm and leading her out of the house and into the backyard. (Rossi had insisted that they get married at his house, after all, he has people on speed dial for last minute events in his back yard.)
There is a makeshift aisle lined with lights that splits through the sea of chairs, only about 50 or so of their closest friends and family, and leads to the "altar" (which will be the dance floor when all is said and done). Underneath a string of fairy lights and greenery, Penelope stands in a purple body con dress holding her binder for the ceremony. Tara's breath catches in her chest as her eyes land on Rebecca waiting for her at the end of the path, and suddenly everything else fades away. She can't believe that they've finally made it here, despite it all, and by the end of this night, Tara will be able to go home with her wife. Al kisses both his daughter's and his soon to be daughter-in-law's cheeks as he hands Tara over to Rebecca before taking his seat in the front row next to Gabriel. Rebecca looks up at Tara, her eyes glossy and her smile wide. They hold each other's hands between them, just taking a moment to soak it all in before turning to their officiant.
"Have we ever seen two people more perfectly made for each other than the couple we have before us today, even with the height disparency?" Penelope asks out to guests, earning a few chuckles and one loud cheer. "As someone who absolutely loves love, it is my honor to be here to help Tara and Rebecca share their love with all of you, here and now and forever more under the law." Penelope pauses for a beat, allowing for the brief applause to subside. "Love is the one of the most beautiful sights to behold, maybe second only to the commitment of two people in love to stand by each other even when it might be easier to run when life becomes difficult, to isolate oneself in fear of being hurt. I've been lucky enough to see Tara and Rebecca make that commitment to each other in real time."
Tara smiles down at Rebecca, tears burning her eyes along her lash line. She squeezes her fiancee's hands and mouths "I love you." Rebecca half sobs, half laughs; her joy and love for Tara becoming too much for her to manage. She thinks about all they've gone through and overcome to reach this moment. Rebecca lifts Tara's hands up to her lips and kisses her knuckles; she wouldn't want to do this with anyone else.
"With the couple's permission, I would like to share a poem with you that I think really speaks to their love story." Penelope turns the page in her binder and smiles widely. "At last/My love has come along/My lonely days are over/And life is like a song/At last/The skies above are blue/My heart was wrapped up in clover/The night I looked at you/I found a dream that I could speak to/A dream that I can call my own/I found a thrill to press my cheek to/A thrill that I've never known/You smiled, you smiled/Oh, and then the spell was cast/And here we are in Heaven/For you are mine at last." Penelope finishes her repetition over a few light chuckles from some of the guests. "Okay, well, some of you caught me. I said poem, but that was of course the lyrics to Etta James' hit song 'At Last'. I searched high and low or something to read for this ceremony and while I read some beautiful love poems, nothing felt so right as this song." Tara and Rebecca both turn to Penelope with wide smiles; the song made all the more special for being one of Caroline Lewis' favorite songs to sing along to. Tara looks out to the crowd and sees her father wiping his eyes with his handkerchief and meets his eye. Al smiles up at his daughter through blurry eyes and he can almost swear that he sees Caroline with her hand on Tara's shoulder.
"But enough of me talking, I'm not the one you came to see." Penelope wipes her own eyes with a watery chuckle. "I am happy to turn it over to the beautiful ladies in front of me to be able to give their vows to each other. Earlier, the two of them took a bar trivia quiz to see who gets to go first, and I am happy to say that Rebecca won." Penelope passes Rebecca her vows from the binder pocket they were tucked into, the downside of the dress she's wearing not having pockets.
Rebecca takes the folded paper and unfolds it, her hands shaking slightly. She takes a deep, steadying breath and looks up into Tara's eyes. "I'm already a weeping mess; so I will try my best to get through this without completely breaking down, but I make no promises." Rebecca laugh-sobs again as Tara reaches out to gently wipe away some of her tears. "Tara, I have lived almost my entire life afraid; and I thought that I was facing my fears, but after meeting you, I realized I was only ever circumventing them and running away. You showed me what real bravery is, what it really means to face terror head on and not back down. And it isn't by acting tough while ducking out the nearest exit." Rebecca blinks away a couple of tears before continuing. The congregation fades around her as she centers all of her focus on Tara. "As you know, that was a hard lesson for me to learn, but I am so glad I have. And that's only one of the many things that you have taught me since I was lucky enough to meet you. Tara, you make me a better person because you are always working to be the best version of yourself. I promise to grow with you, no matter the growing pains that are sure to come. I promise to hold your hand as you continue to be the strongest and bravest person I know, never letting you face this world alone. I promise to laugh at your jokes, no matter how corny or stupid they may be. But more than anything, I promise to love you with my whole being for as long as I can. You are my light and my love." Rebecca finishes her vows, blindly handing the creased paper back to Penelope. She reaches up and cups Tara's cheek, beaming so widely her cheeks hurt. This is all she's ever wanted in life and the fact that she has it feels unreal.
Tara places her hand over Rebecca's on her cheek and brings them down to her lips, pressing a kiss to Rebecca's palm before letting their hands drop back down. Her chest is hot with love and joy and she is so unbelievably fulfilled in this moment. "I've been barely holding back asking people to pinch me all day because the fact that a woman so amazing as you would agree to marry me is something I used to only be able to dream of." Tara jokes; she's never been able to just go straight into sharing her feelings, especially not in front of an audience. She takes a beat to focus on Rebecca's face, letting herself ignore everyone else around them. "Rebecca, you make me happier than I have ever been before. Being with you is an honor that I promise to never take for granted. You are my rock, the person I can lean on to be strong; because I know that at the end of the day I can come home to you and be supported when I need to break down. You always push me to grow and I promise that I will never stop becoming the best version of myself that I can be for you." Tara takes a breath, as a tear slides down her cheek. "You make me feel safe and secure, like for once in my life the rug won't be ripped out from underneath me. I promise to do everything I can to give back to you everything you give to me. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of loving somebody. And I will continue to do so for so long as I draw breath."
Penelope smiles widely at the couple. "Rebecca, do you take Tara Elizabeth Lewis to be your lawfully wedded spouse?"
Rebecca nods her head before remembering she has to say it out loud. "I do." She manages to say through the joy and love that have tightened her throat.
"And Tara, do you take Rebecca Isabel Wilson to be your lawfully wedded spouse?"
"Of course I do!" Tara laughs, staring at her love with blurry eyes.
"Then by the power invested in me by the state of Virginia through a $20 online certificate, I now pronounce you spouses!" Penelope calls through her tears. "You can now do what we all came here to see and kiss each other."
Tara and Rebecca look at each other with wide smiles, tears blurring their vision. Rebecca lifts up on her toes as Tara bends down until they meet in a soft but heated kiss. Tara wraps her arms around Rebecca's waist, pulling her as close as possible as Rebecca pulls Tara's face into hers. It's chaste, well, as chaste as the two of them trying to fully mold into one can be. Somewhere in the distance, they can hear a roar of applause, but for the moment, it is drowned out by the rush of blood in their ears and the thump of their hearts. The rest of the world floods into focus when they break apart, smiles splitting their faces in two. Rebecca takes Tara’s hand and lifts it into the air as their friends and family cheer for them. The newlyweds walk down the aisle and back into the house for a short planned break as the dinner tables get set up.
Back in the room she got ready in, Rebecca leads Tara to the green settee and kisses her again as they sit down. Tara melts into the kiss, leaning over Rebecca and pressing her against the wall. “We’re married.” Rebecca mummers in slight disbelief against Tara’s lips.
"Finally." Tara chuckles as she kisses Rebecca once more. "I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else. And I almost want to skip out on everything else so we can go home and I can hold you in my arms…" She pecks her wife's lips again. "Naked."
Rebecca hums in appreciation as that image fills her head. "But we can't. At least not for a couple more hours. Then I am all yours," She leans her head against Tara's. "Forever."
Tara closes her eyes and deeply breathes in the moment. "Forever." She promises back. They sit together like that for a moment until Emily knocks on the door to bring them out for the reception.
The dinner is wonderful; they decided to serve pasta with the choice of chicken or eggplant parmesan. Both Tara and Rebecca have napkins tucked into their outfits to avoid any pasta sauce stains. As dinner winds down, Emily gets up and takes the stage with a couple of notecards. "Hello, it is wonderful to have everyone here to celebrate Tara and Rebecca. I keep being asked to give speeches like this, so if you need to book me for future events, have your people contact my people." Emily jokes, pleased to see Tara laugh, as she added that into the speech just for her friend. "Some people say that two people who are meant to be together have a red string of fate connecting them from their little fingers." She wiggles her pinky in the air. "If there are two people who I think that is true for, it would be Tara and Rebecca. I remember when I first saw them in the same room and it was clear as the day is bright that they are so deeply in love with each other. Despite challenges that they have gone through, they remain connected to each other. And it has been beautiful to watch as they grow and learn together, even when Tara is being a difficult patient or Rebecca has to do her job. They compliment each other in ways I didn't know could exist. Two souls tied together, meant for each other. At least that's what some people say. Tara says she doesn't believe in fate or soulmates, like the true romantic she is." Emily pauses as people laugh. "Whether it is true or not, what I know to be true is the love Rebecca and Tara have for each other. So here is to the beautiful couple, may they be connected for life." She raises her champagne flute in the air for a toast and gently clinks a knife against it, calling for the couple to kiss.
Tara and Rebecca sit at the head table as a couple more of their friends and family give speeches in their honor. After many more toasts and kisses, the newlyweds get up for their first dance to Tracy Chapman's "For My Lover". As they do a simple dance around the floor, Tara drops her head against Rebecca's and quietly sings along to the words. "I'd climb a mountain if I had to, risk my life so I could have you, you, you, you...Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed for my lover, for my lover."
Rebecca laughs at her wife and their song choice, squeezing Tara's hand three times. She feels so alive in this moment and part of her never wants this night to end. The other part of her wants to take Tara home as soon as possible. But swaying in her arms right now is enough.
Dave moves his chair closer to JJ as Tara and Rebecca dance, leaning his shoulder into the blonde. "How you doing, kid?"
JJ turns to face her friend, tears clouding her eyes. "I'm alright. It just reminds me of my wedding. And it's a little hard, but today isn't about me."
"It's hard for me too. Krystall always loved dancing." Dave sighs deeply and wraps his arm around JJ. "We can celebrate them while still grieving."
JJ looks out to the dance floor again, the memory of her and Will dancing next to Tara and Rebecca. It seems like yesterday they got married, but also like a lifetime ago. "Yeah…Dave?" Dave turns his head to face his colleague, giving her a slight nod for her to continue. "Will you save a dance for me?"
"Of course, kid, of course." Dave presses a kiss into JJ's temple as the song ends and everyone erupts into applause.
Tara and Rebecca wave for people to join them as the next song comes on; they decided to forgo any other traditional dances, though Al does immediately pull Tara into a dance while Rebecca's mom does the same as the dance floor slowly fills up. Penelope pulls Luke onto the dance floor as Emily offers her hand to Tyler, seeing that JJ and Dave have headed up together. As the songs switch, so do the partners, Penelope eventually pulling all of the girls into a group dance. Tara smiles widely, taking in all of the people she loves, her eyes finally landing on her wife who is dancing with Emily and Penelope. She never could've imagined that she could be this happy. Rebecca looks up and meets her eyes and winks. Tara makes her way to her wife as the song playing comes to an end.
"You smiled, you smiled, Oh, and then the spell was cast, And here we are in Heaven, For you are mine at last."