Colleen, unable to sleep due to all the excitement of the day, wandered down stairs of the homestead. She found Michaela still awake as well, sitting at the dining table by the candlelight. She noticed that Mike had taken out her wedding gown and had it splayed out on the table.

"I was thinking about my wedding day" Michaela told her daughter. "How chaotic it was and... wonderful"

Colleen noticed that there was more to Michaela's late night reminiscing. There had been a concern in her voice and in her body language since Colleen and Andrew had announced their engagement and plans to marry as soon as possible so that they could leave for Philadelphia together.

"Ma, I know that this is all happening really fast... but, I really do love Andrew and Andrew loves me" Colleen told her, hoping to instill some confidence in Michaela regarding the marriage. "I hope you can be happy for me"

"I am happy for you Colleen" Michaela said honestly, but still uncertain about the haste in which it all was happening.

Colleen let out a sigh of relief. "And don't worry about the wedding, it doesn't have to be anything special"

"Well of course it does!" Michaela replied "My daughter's getting married! Everything has to be just right"

Colleen chuckled at the irony of her mother's word. "You're starting to sound like Grandma on your wedding day!"

Michaela joined in on the chuckle, realizing Colleen was right. Her mother had arrived in Colorado Springs with multiple crates for Michaelas 'perfect' wedding day. She would have completely taken over the wedding if it hadn't been for Michaela finally standing up and taking the planning back to make it HER and Sully's wedding. Michaela then looked at Colleen and began to feel sentimental again. "Will you wear my dress?" She asked.

"I'd love to" Colleen replied sweetly, truly touched. "Also, I was hoping that you'd be my matron of honor?"

"Colleen it's not proper for the mother of the bride to be the matron of honor.." Michaela began but Colleen interrupted.

"I don't care what's proper and what's not." Colleen said firmly. "All I know is I want you up there beside me"

The pair exchanged a loving look and Michaela said nothing but her expression said it all. She would be honored to stand up with Colleen.

Colleen smiled dreamily as she headed back to her room and she let out an audible sigh of glee as she plopped herself down on her bed. She lied back on the pillows, crawled under the covers and curled up, glancing at the picture of her family that she kept on her night stand. She was so thankful for everything they had done for her and how much they had supported her over the years. She then stared at Michaela. Michaela had stepped up and raised her when her real Ma had passed away. Colleen frowned for a moment, wishing Charlotte Cooper were there to meet Andrew and be by her side on her wedding day. She then smiled again knowing that Charlotte was looking down on her at that moment and proud of everything she had accomplished and relieved that she had made the right choice in asking Michaela to raise her children.

Colleen was delighted that Michaela had agreed to be her Matron of Honor. With Becky being gone, she would have been lost otherwise. Michaela was always there for her in the best and worst of times. This was definitely one of the best of times. Still, Colleen couldn't help but sense that Michaela wasn't completely on board with the idea of the wedding happening so fast. Sure, she knew that Colleen and Andrew loved each other but there was still some reservations behind Michaela's smiles and congratulations towards it all.

Regardless, Colleen shook the feeling that something just wasn't right off her shoulders and out of mind. Instead, she closed her eyes and filled her head with visions of her future in Philadelphia, with Andrew always by her side.

"No it's not quite right" Michaela mused as she fussed with the veil she was trying on Colleen. There was a bit of down time at the clinic and Colleen had suggested that it might be a good time to get some planning and to dos out of the way. Michaela seemed less than enthusiastic but reluctantly agreed to help her daughter.

"I think it's fine the way it is" Colleen told her as she looked in a handheld mirror.

"Fine is not good enough Colleen, a veil should be exquisite" Michaela said, sounding irritated with it all.

"You really are starting to sound like Grandma" Colleen said, concerned about her mother's attitude. She put the mirror down and turned to face Michaela, trying to figure out what was going on. "Grandma was never really happy about you marrying Sully was she?" Colleen inquired.

"Well she did have her reservations at first..." Michaela admitted. She had a feeling about where Colleen was going with her questioning. "But..."

"Are you happy about me marrying Andrew?" Colleen interrupted. She had hoped her mother was over the initial shock of the wedding happening so fast but now it was clear that Michaela still wasn't too keen about their plans.

"Colleen my only concern about you marrying Andrew is that it's not done out of fear of being alone in Philadelphia" Michaela confessed. "That wouldn't be fair to Andrew or you"

"How could you think that?!" Colleen asked, her temper rising. "I love Andrew and he loves me!"

"Then why don't you wait until you finish medical school to get married? If you truly love each other now, you'll still love each other then" Michaela argued.

"This is not going to effect my schooling, I'm still going to become a doctor" Colleen insisted.

"But... what if you became pregnant? I mean, starting a family is a part of marriage" Michaela continued.

Colleen thought about it for a moment. It wasn't something that she and Andrew had even thought about let alone discussed.

"Well we'll just wait for that" Colleen shrugged stubbornly.

"That may sound like a reasonable plan now Colleen but... it will be difficult... with the pressures of school a pregnancy would give you no choice..."

"I can't believe you're doing this!" Colleen shouted. She was angry but even more so, she was hurt that she didn't have Michaela's support.

"All I want is what's best for you!" Michaela defended.

"You only want what you want!" Colleen yelled, grabbing her shawl and storming out the door.

Colleen and Andrew sat side by side in the church, looking up at the revered. He had agreed to perform the ceremony and they were seeing him for a bit of prewedding counseling and also to iron out the details of the day. The topic had quickly turned to Michaela's feelings towards their marriage as Colleen was still quite fired up after leaving Michaela at the clinic.

"She's being completely unreasonable!" Colleen protested.

"Well..." Andrew said uncomfortably, scratching his head, thinking about Michaela's fear of Colleen becoming pregnant. It hadn't even crossed his mind before then. He had been so excited about proposing and the wedding and quitting his job at the Chateau and moving to Philadelphia and even the anticipation of the wedding night but he hadn't thought it all completely through. It was all a bit unsettling to him. Everything had been going so perfectly and now there was a damper on their plans.

"You agree with her?!" Colleen sternly asked Andrew who could only raise his eyebrows in defense. He wasn't sure what he thought.

"Let's just calm down..." Reverend Johnston told them. "No good will come from turning on one another."

Colleen and Andrew each took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. The Reverend was right.

"Why don't the two of you talk things over and you can let me know tomorrow how things went and how you would like to proceed with the ceremony" The Reverend suggested. The couple agreed and quietly left the church, walking side by side.

"What are you thinking we should do?" Andrew finally asked when they were outside and headed back into town.

"I think we should just leave and get married in Philadelphia" Colleen told Andrew, still sounding frustrated that they even had to discuss such a thing. Her anger had subsided though. There was more of a sadness to her voice.

"No..." Andrew said immediately but softly as he put his arm around Colleen to comfort her. He knew she would regret it if she ever got married without her family there with her. "Michaela does have a point... I would hate for anything to interfere with you and becoming a doctor"

They stopped on the bridge leading back into town and Colleen looked up at Andrew, already knowing what was about to happen. He was sweet and practical and she would listen to him. He looked her straight in the eyes.

"I do love you Colleen and I have no doubt that I'll feel the same way two years from now." He started. "I only hope you'll feel the same"

"Of course I will" Colleen reassured him, giving him a doting glare.

In that moment they both knew that their wedding wasn't going to be happening. They didn't say it aloud but the disappointment was clear on their faces. Colleen rested her head on Andrew's chest and he tightly wrapped his arms around the woman he would have to call his fiance for two more years.

Colleen sat alone on the front steps for a moment or two by herself before bringing herself to enter her home. She was upset and angry and would have to tell them what she and Andrew had decided to do. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she finally rose and turned towards the door. When she stepped inside she found her family all gathered around the table having dinner, just as she had assumed. There was a place setting left for her but she was in no mood.

"We were worried about you!" Michaela exclaimed, interrupting Colleen's thoughts.

"Andrew and I have decided to postpone the wedding" She stated coldly, not bothering to look to her mother for a reaction. It was what Michaela had wanted and Colleen didn't want to see the satisfaction written on her face.

"Why?!" Matthew had asked. He and the rest of the family were taken completely by surprise.

"We've decided to wait until I finish medical school" Colleen replied before looking at Michaela disdainfully. "If you'll excuse me I don't feel much like eating"

She left her family and went straight up the stairs and into her room. She sat at her vanity and began to take her hair down. She picked up the brush and began brushing it out. A tear formed in the corner of her left eye and as Colleen squeezed her lids closed, it rolled down her cheek. She stopped brushing and thought about the way Michaela would always sit with her when she was upset and stroke the brush through her hair in a soothing manner. She longed to have a moment like that right now. It hurt that Michaela WAS the reason she was so upset. Why couldn't her mother just understand that having Andrew with her in Philadelphia would be what was best for her. He was always the person she could turn to for help and he loved and supported her just as much as her family always had. She had wasted too much time away from him and she couldn't bare the thought of waiting another two years. She wanted to be his wife just as much as she wanted to earn her medical degree. She wanted it all and Michaela had always told her she COULD have it all. That's why it was so difficult for Colleen to understand why Michaela was behaving the way she was. It was selfish and Colleen was broken hearted that she only had a week left and she was spending it at odds with her mentor, mother and best friend.

Andrew headed into town the next morning with a heavy and broken heart. He had been on such a high after the proposal that it hurt all the more when everything came crashing down. He had already quit his job too and now that the wedding was off, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He was fighting an internal battle between what he thought would be the right thing to do for Colleen and what his heart was begging for. Colleen had said she would still love him in two years but there were doubts in the back of his mind. What if he lost her? He didn't know if that was something he could handle. He felt as if he was in a fog as he walked up to the clinic. Michaela was the last person he wanted to see that morning but he still had work to do and patients to see and he needed a favor from her.

"Good morning Michaela" Andrew awkwardly greeted his colleague "I was wondering if you had anymore of those stinging neddle leaves I could borrow. It's really worked wonders for Mrs. Negly's hay asthma."

"Oh course" Michaela said softly as she went to her cupboard to get them and tried to make small talk with Andrew. "I heard Preston is trying to sell the Chateau" She said.

"Yes. I only hope that the new owners will allow me to continue to run the clinic there" Andrew replied.

"I thought you were starting your own practice?" Michaela asked shocked.

"I've decided to remain here in Colorado Springs" Andrew informed her, sorrow clear in his voice. "I don't want to be a distraction to Colleen in Philadelphia"

"Andrew I'm so sorry about all this" Michaela admitted.

"No no..." Andrew stopped her. "Don't be. You only want what's best for Colleen as do I. I would hate myself if in anyway I hindered her dream about becoming a doctor. Anyway, two years is nothing to wait"

Michaela simply nodded at Andrew's statement. She could tell that he was trying to be positive about the situation, it wasn't coming through though. He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. Postponing the wedding was not what he wanted and she knew that it wasn't what Colleen wanted either. They were only doing it for her. Michaela felt the guilt heavily setting in.

After that evenings dinner, Colleen offered to put Katie to bed. Really though, she was just trying to avoid Michaela. They had barely said two words to each other that day. Colleen was still angry and hurt and didn't quite know how to talk to her mother without having those same feelings come up again and the last thing she wanted to do was get into more arguments. She didn't have much time left at home and that's not how she wanted to spend her last days. She let out an exhausted sigh at the thought of all that had happened over the past few days. Then she laughed and smiled at her baby sister who had copied Colleen's exhale before letting out a big yawn.

"I guess that means time for bed Katie" Colleen said, smiling lovingly. She placed Katie in the crib and went to over to the bed to straighten out the blankets they were just playing on.

Michaela then walked in the room and Colleen knew that she could no longer avoid her mother. When Michaela asked to speak with her, Colleen remained silent but took a seat on the bed, giving Michaela her attention.

"The other day in the cafe, when you opened that letter, and you learned that you had been accepted to medical school" Michaela began. "That was one of the happiest days of my life. And I realized that everything you've accomplished in your life has made me happy. Very very happy" Colleen turned her gaze away from her mother. She was becoming a bit emotional and was slowly letting her anger slip away but wasn't ready to give in just yet. She let Michaela continue. "But you were right Colleen. I have been acting like my mother and it's not my happiness that matters here, it's yours." Colleen looked up finally, realizing that Michaela wasn't there to lecture her some more. She was there to apologize. "And above everything, above going to medical school, above becoming a doctor, I want you to make choices in your life that will make you happy. And I'll always love you, and support you, no matter what those choices may be."

Colleen choked back tears as she listened to Michaela's words. She had known all along what she wanted to do, all she wanted was her mother's approval and now she had it. "Ma... I do want to go to medical school. And I do want to marry Andrew. But I don't want to wait"

"Then the sooner you get married, the better" Michaela told Colleen, tears now forming in her eyes as well. Colleen immediately threw her arms around her mother for the most joyous embrace.

Colleen stood outside of the church, listening to the sounds of the piano playing just inside and the voices of the people she loved, all gathered there to witness her and Andrew vow themselves to one another. Michaela hugged her daughter and then turned to enter the church and head down the aisle. Sully offered Colleen his arm and she took it while letting out a deep breath. It was time.

When she turned the corner and began her decent down the aisle, she took it all in. She knew it was a day and a moment that she wanted to remember the rest of her life. Every sound, every look, every smell.

Colleen stepped up onto the alter and took her place next to Andrew. At first he looked nervous but those nerves vanished as their eyes met. The Reverend began to speak but neither one was truly listening. They knew what they were vowing. Instead they got lost in each other's look. Colleen stared at her almost husband and recalled that very moment that they had met. Andrew's rich white suit covered in mud and the way he looked at her when she bent down and offered him a hand. She had known right away that there was a connection there. She then remembered see the shock on Andrew's face that first sweet hearts dance together when she had placed a kiss on his cheek. She could hear him stutter nervously through his words as he tried to talk to her and express his feelings. She thought about the way it felt every time he held her close as she cried, in particular that summer with all the troubles with Sully. She could still taste their first kiss that they shared in the gardens at the Chateau and every sweet, passionate and loving one after that. She didn't have to wonder if Andrew was remembering all those moments in that time as well. She knew that he was staring at her and doing the same.

They joined hands.

"Do you Andrew, take Colleen to be your wife?" The Reverend began. "To have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

A huge grin formed over Andrew's face and with great confidence he nodded and firmly said "I do"

"I do" Colleen agreed a moment later, making their marriage official and both happier than they ever thought they could be.

The day was more than Colleen and Andrew had ever imagined. The ceremony was perfection and they had danced the afternoon and early evening away in the were beyond happy and as Andrew took Colleen's hand at the end of the reception, she looked up at him and met his eyes. There was something new there. They were married now and their hearts would forever belong to one another. Andrew leaned down and kissed his wife ever so lightly on the lips, letting himself linger afterwards. When Colleen opened her eyes, she and Andrew smirked at one another. They were ready for their special day to end and their marriage begin.

They walked hand in hand towards the bridge as their guests showered them in rice and flower petals. They stopped just before crossing. Colleen lifted her bouquet in the air and then tossed it over her head. She and Andrew turned to face the crowd seeing that Dorothy, arm tucked around Cloud Dancing's had made the catch. They then continued on their way, leaving the party behind as they reached the other side and headed into town and towards the clinic. Andrew no longer had a room at the Chateau after quitting his job and Michaela had offered the clinic up to them for their wedding night. It was fitting really as it was the place that they had met and the place they had worked together for so many hours side by side. They were thrilled and so thankful.

Andrew opened the door to the clinic and then cradled Colleen in his arms. She giggled as they stepped over the threshold together. When they got upstairs they found that one of the rooms had been adorned with flowers and candle light. It was all very romantic. The newlyweds stood by one another, not saying a word.

"Are you tired?" Andrew finally asked Colleen, breaking the silence. Colleen grinned and shook her head, indicated that she wasn't too tired. She walked over to the bed and sat down. Andrew followed her and took her hands in his. He pulled her back up to her feet, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with more confidence and passion than he ever had before. Colleen allowed herself to melt in his arms. She brought her hands around the back of his neck and stroked her fingers through his hair. He reached for the corset ties of her dress and pulled them lose. He nuzzled his lips against her neck causing her to let out a quiet moan as her breath quickened.

When Colleen's dress finally fell to the ground, she climbed back on the bed and urged her husband to follow. He did. They moved slowly and tentatively at first, each checking on the other from time to time to ensure they were ok. They finally settled into a comfortable rhythm, listening to their instincts. They savored every kiss, every look and every touch of their first night together.

Colleen woke up slowly but refreshed the next morning. She rolled over on her side and looked at her new husband, who was still sleeping. She smiled ever so slightly, thinking about how happy he had made her since the day she met him. Sometimes she had been frustrated at how slowly their relationship had developed but looking at him now, she knew that everything had been perfect. Their love was genuine and pure. They were best friends and last night they had become lovers. They discovered a new passion for one another, unlike anything either one had felt before.

Colleen's loving smile grew as she watched Andrew slightly open his eyes and sleepily focus them on her. Andrew smiled back with satisfaction. He yawned and then pulled Colleen in close to him. As she rested her head on his chest, he kissed her on the forehead. Neither one said a thing. They took in the moment, knowing that they would be happy waking up together for the rest of their lives.

At their wedding, they had vowed to be partners in life and now they were looking forward to becoming partners in their careers. Tomorrow they would leave for Philadelphia to embark on a new journey but they would always cherish the memories they had made in Colorado Springs. The memories that led to them falling in love.

THE END

** I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who stuck with this story. It was a much more time consuming project than I thought when I started it and then of course life can get in the way of hobbies. Happy to have completed the work and happy to share it with everyone!