Max stood in a small foyer of the opulent Oviatt Penthouse, dressed in her mother's white wedding dress and awash with nervous expectation. "I'm so proud of you, my angel," Ryan said, barely able to contain the tears which threatened to break from their moorings at the sight of his radiant young daughter, dressed as his own darling wife was when he married her nearly twenty-five years earlier. He smiled warmly, noticing the similarity she bore to her mother and bathing in the memory of his own betrothal and the wonderful young daughter that the union had produced.

"I love you, dad," Max said tearfully and filled with emotion. "Thank you for everything." Ryan grabbed her emphatically, drawing her close and holding her tightly.

"We thought we'd lost everything that mattered when we heard about the storm," her father said earnestly. "Then you turned up with Chloe and it was like the most perfect news that your mother and I could have ever wished for." His grasp tightened ever so slightly. "For as long as you two have known each other you've been such good friends and more to the point, so good for each other. When we took you away we felt more guilty than you could ever imagine and when we learned that you weren't even keeping in touch...well, your mother and I started to regret ever moving." Max was struggling to withhold her own tears as her mind recounted the terrible journey which she'd endured, both the years spent without her partner and the chaos of the events that came after they'd reunited. "To be here with you today, giving you away to Chloe...there's nothing in the world that could make me happier than I am now."

"Oh dad," Max said, unable to restrain her tears any longer, "I'm happier than I can possibly describe, even though my face might not look that way any more." She grinned and sniffled before going on. "Thank you for everything that you and mom have done for us...and thanks for understanding how much Chloe means to me. We love each other so much and she's always going to be there, watching out for me. And I will be for her too."

As the embrace between father and daughter broke apart, Dana stepped in readily with a tissue, drying the young bride's eyes and struggling to contain tears of her own at the beautiful scene she'd witnessed. "Don't want your make-up to to run," she said as she dabbed Max's cheeks.

"You're so sweet, D," Max said, cloudy-eyed but flashing her wide and sincere smile. She interrupted her Maid of Honour to hug her tightly.

"You're worth it, Max," Dana answered sincerely. "You've always been so selfless and thoughtful, for as long as I've known you. If anybody deserves all this, it's you."

~oOo~

A few minutes later Dana followed Max, the younger girl's arm entwined with her father, down the aisle between rows of friends and family. Max looked around the room, the sheer excitement making it difficult to focus. She noticed the two mothers, Joyce and Vanessa, sitting together in the front row. Both had turned themselves to watch Max walk down the aisle and each were patting their eyes dry with a tissue, smiling at her glowingly. The young girl was absently placing one foot in front of the other, the scene in front of her blurred and surreal. When her eyes looked ahead to where her partner awaited, they found their focus with unbridled clarity. Her stunning, blue-haired sylph stood gazing back, dressed all in black and wearing a smile of pure contentment on her face. The dress was a seemingly perfect blend of sophistication and punk, designed especially for her by Chrissie who'd got to work on a few designs when she first heard the two were getting married. David stood beside her in his usual upright and authoritative manner, almost like a nightclub doorman, a broad smile however displaying his true feelings. He was equally flattered and surprised when Chloe had asked him to escort her down the aisle. It was one of very few occasions in his life which had brought a hint of tears to the stoic man's eyes. As close as Chloe was to her mother, she wanted to make the gesture to her step-father as a way of showing her acceptance and even love, after all that he'd done for them. Joyce was touched at the sight of the two happily standing together on this special day.

Lita was standing perched behind Chloe's shoulder, fiery red hair contrasted against her elegant azure bridesmaid's dress which was another of Chrissie's designs. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the sight of the two young girls whom she loved so dearly, finally and nervously tying the knot. More than anybody else, she knew what the girls had gone through to be where they were today. She was the only one to learn the whole story and it wasn't lost on her. They'd literally bent space and time to be together. But no matter how fantastical the story, every time they spoke to anyone but her there was always a careful reservation when discussing Arcadia Bay or their past. It had been an incredible journey, and the fact that they'd shared it with her made Lita feel more loved and accepted than she could ever hope to convey to them. She placed her hand on the small of Chloe's back, the blue-haired girl smiling at the touch, knowing the feelings it conveyed.

~oOo~

Chloe watched as her partner climbed the couple of steps in front of her on slightly unsteady legs. It was the most adorable sight that she could imagine and it was reflected in the smile on her face. She reached out and grabbed the smaller girl's hand, their eyes locked together. 'I love you so much,' she said with a look which Max understood straight away. The brown-haired girl's smile widened even more and she returned the sentiment with one pronounced, languid blink.

The celebrant spoke for a few minutes, the two girls hardly listening to the words. When he asked them to speak their vows, Max went first. "Chloe. The closest thing I have to a regret in my life is the time that we were apart. The first time I had any dreams of the future was back when we planned it together as kids. It was just fantasies about pirates and super-heroes at the time, but the important thing was you. Us. No matter what the story was, it was always the tale of Chloe and Max." She smiled at Chloe adoringly, as her eyes welled up. "I used to tell you I how sorry I was for leaving and I meant it, but looking at you here today, you're so...perfect. Even after everything we've been through, I wouldn't change a thing. I couldn't. Because nothing could ever bring me here, to such a perfect place, with you. You're everything I could ever need or want. I love you completely, Chloe Price, and I always will. You'll always be my partner in crime." Chloe took a moment, allowing the words to caress her as she stared into her lover's wide eyes. She took a breath and composed her thoughts, flashing a loving smile at the younger girl before uttering her own carefully and purposefully worded vows.

"Max. Where do I start? And what words could ever be enough to tell you how much I love you?" the blue-haired girl began sincerely. "I owe you everything. I was lost without you. But I never realised how much you truly meant to me until you came back. How much I need you. You saved my life, and not just when the storm hit." Chloe blinked back the tears which were trying to run down her cheeks. She was cryptic enough that nobody besides Max and Lita knew what she meant, but she was still able to convey the gravity of her feelings to her partner. Not that she needed to. The wedding was as much for everyone else as it was for the two girls. They both knew, far beyond words, what they meant to each other. "You're my whole life, Max. Everything I have, I owe to you...but you love me so much that I know I owe you nothing. Thank you, angel," she said as a tear eluded her and managed to escape down her pale cheek. "Thank you for coming back. For making all of this possible. For the life we have now. It's perfect. You're everything I could ever need or want. I love you completely, Max Caulfield, and I always will. You'll always be my partner in time." The sight of her young lover's crying eyes and loving smile made Chloe wish she could ignore protocol and hug her right then and there. In the moment the celebrant took to inhale before proceeding, she threw protocol aside as she regularly did, stepping forward and embracing her partner. She felt Max's trembling body against her own. "I love you so much," she whispered in the smaller girl's ear, feeling her lover's hands squeezing her back gently as she did so.

~oOo~

The celebrant held his words until the girls had separated, both looking at him with an apologetic smile. He grinned, happy to allow them the time that they needed. The middle-aged man was accustomed to various interruptions or times when a wedding might go slightly off script for one reason or another. It was obvious how much the two young girls loved each other and it was something that he appreciated after observing countless marriages before this one. He found that there were some couples who's wedding seemed like a perfect accompaniment to their relationship. Others however, tried to use marriage as a tool to try and reinforce a relationship that was quite obviously doomed to fail. It was always gratifying to perform weddings for the former group, rather than the latter. With an appreciative smile, he continued, "Would the Maids of Honour care to present the rings?" Lita and Dana both produced ring-boxes containing the girls' Topaz rings. Lita grinned as Chloe plucked the ring from the box, the blue-haired girl pausing and returning the knowing look. Both girls conveyed more than words ever could in such a brief instant and smiled at each other. She'd never seen a tear in the eye of the brazen red-haired girl before, but Chloe saw them there now. 'Thank you, for everything,' Chloe said tacitly. 'We both love you so much.'

'I know. And it means more to me than you'll ever understand,' the older girl replied with a wink.

Chloe slid the sparkling blue ring onto her lover's delicate finger, just as she'd done in San Francisco many months before. Max struggled to contain the shakes that coursed through her as she echoed the gesture, savouring the contact between her hands and those of her girlfriend. The ring found it's familiar resting place upon the blue-haired girl's finger as Max smiled lovingly at her, a smile returned uninhibitedly. The celebrant read out the declaration as the girls stared into each other's eyes. "Unless there are any objections," he continued, pausing for a moment even though he was confident that there would be none, "Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, by the powers vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you wife and wife." He smiled as he uttered the words, as requested, to the two young girls. "You may now kiss the bride." Max and Chloe gazed at each other, living in a moment which to them lasted an eternity. 'Thank you, my love,' Chloe said with her eyes. 'You know that I love you more than I could ever put into words. You're everything to me.'

Max read every unspoken word that her lover had said with crystal clarity. 'I'd sacrifice everything for you,' she replied in kind. 'Nothing...not time and space itself, could stop me from being with you. I'll be here through everything that comes, because life without you isn't a life at all.'

Chloe saw the words as clearly as Lita did beside her, not needing any special insight however when it came to empathising with her partner. She knew Max as well as she knew herself. As the tears rolled unabated down her cheeks, she grinned at the brown-haired girl. Her wife. "I love you so much," Chloe said, completely overcome with emotion, as so rarely was the case. Max smiled back euphorically as tears of her own cascaded over her cheeks.

"Oh, Chloe," the younger girl began earnestly before finding the words insufficient, instead almost throwing herself towards her lover. Chloe caught her on cue and kissed Max deeply, an overwhelming happiness wrapping around every fibre of her being. They barely noticed the cheers and applause which swelled around the crowded room. The two pirates had sailed the stormiest of seas to get where they were today, but somehow they'd made it. And it was a place far more wonderful than they'd ever dreamed. They looked forward to the adventures that lay ahead too, knowing the fact that they were sharing the journey together was all that really mattered.