Epilogue: All Eyes On Me

There were a million people in the church, but Danny Messer had never felt more alone in his life. As he stood up in front of the church, his hands felt clammy. His throat was dry. What are you doing Messer? he asked himself. Try as he might, he couldn't come up with a good answer. He'd seen Mac and Stella both come in, and Hawkes, Adam, Sid and his wife, and Angell. None of them had glanced his way.

He scanned the crowd, knowing the one face he wanted to see probably had had a restraining order put on her to stay a thousand yards from the church. Could really use my best friend right about now, he thought sadly.

You made your bed, Messer. Now you gotta live with it.

The music started, and Danny barely registered Flack leading Rikki's sister up to stand with them, didn't notice the usher (he wanted it to be Hawkes, or Mac, but Rikki had volunteered her cousins) sit his mother in the front pew. In fact, he hardly registered the music change, or saw Rikki walk up the aisle until she was right in front of him. She was smiling, and beautiful, and Danny forced a smile. He took her hand and they turned to face the preacher.

Lindsay poked her head from the crying room as the preacher went through the "Dearly beloveds." Danny was facing Rikki. Up front, Flack caught her eye.

Then she waited.

"If anyone can show just cause why these two should not be joined in marriage, speak now-"

She didn't even let him finish the sentence. "I object," she said, in a firm, clear voice, stepping up into the aisle.

Everyone turned. So many people gasped she thought they'd sucked the air from the sanctuary.

She tried not to smile at the look on Rikki's face. The bride to be had turned bright, tomato red.

Lindsay looked at Danny. His jaw was on the floor. "I object, on the grounds that the bride is lying to her soon to be husband," she said, coming up the aisle. "She's made this man believe that he is responsible for her son's death. She's guilted him into a relationship. She's badgered him into this church today."

"Danny Messer," Lindsay said, rounding on Danny. "Deep down, you know that Ruben's death was not your fault. You know that what you feel for her isn't love, it's guilt. You think marrying her is going to fill the void left by losing her son. And you know that that's not true. She would have you believe you owe her something. She would have you believe that she loves you."

She glanced at Rikki. "And I know she doesn't."

Yep, there's the steam coming from her ears.

"I know she doesn't. If she had, you would have had more say in this wedding. If she did, she wouldn't have banned your best friend from the church today. If she loved you, if she really loved you, she would have forgiven you, she would have never made you feel like you owe her." She looked at Rikki. "I know you think this is the right thing to do right now, that you think this is going to ease the pain, and it might, for a while. But eventually, it's all going to come back up and sit around like the elephant in the room, and you'll both be miserable, and I know that Ruben wouldn't have wanted that for either of you."

She came a few more steps up the aisle. "That's my best friend standing next to you." Lindsay said. Her voice caught, the first time in her tirade. "Danny, there's so many things that if she loved you, she'd know, but I know she doesn't. She doesn't know that you've got Mike Piazza's rookie card under your pillow because that's who you wanted to be in college, or that your favorite meal is your mother's chicken marsala. She doesn't know your favorite color is green, or that while you gripe and moan about chick flicks, you cried during The Notebook and you sang along with Aerosmith at the end of Armageddon."

She noticed Danny dropped Rikki's hands. "If she loved you, she would have seen just how miserable this whole thing has made you, and she would have let you go. And if you loved her, really loved her, then so would have you."

Lindsay glanced around, saw Stella. Stella gave her a nod. "I love you Danny," Lindsay said, the words out loud, free in the air. The first time she'd said it out loud in front of everyone.

There was silence in the church. Lindsay swore she could hear the traffic outside, and the candles flickering on the stands.

"I object too," Flack said from behind Danny. Danny turned slowly to his Best Man. Rikki's jaw hit the floor, and she dropped her bouquet.

"So do I!" That came from Adam, somewhere in the middle of the church.

"Me too!" Angell said, standing up from her seat.

"I object," Hawkes said, rising to his feet.

Lindsay watched Mac and Stella slowly rise from their pew. Neither of them said anything, but Danny knew.

"As do I," Sid said from the back.

"I object as well," a soft voice said. Danny glanced down to see his mother stand up and look her son in the eye. Then, he caught her smile.

Danny glanced at Rikki. "Danny-" she began, but Danny only shook his head.

"I object as well," another voice said, and Lindsay gasped this time, as Rikki's mother stood up. She glanced disapprovingly at her daughter. "I think you and I, young lady, need to have a talk."

To everyone's surprise, Rikki's face fell. "Yeah Mom," she said with a sigh. "I know." She looked at Danny. "I'm sorry."

He gave her a hug. "Me too."

Rikki's mother coughed. "Young man," she said, addressing Danny, "I don't know what you're doing still standing there."

Danny chuckled and shook his head. "You know what?" he said, "I don't know either." He turned, and stepped down. He walked down the aisle and buried his hands in Lindsay's hair as he kissed her to applause.

Out in the aisle, Danny gave Lindsay a hug. "Thank you," he said. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry."

Lindsay smiled at him, putting one hand on the side of his face. "You know what?" she said. "You have all the time in the world to apologize to me. Right now, everyone is staring at us, and I want to give them a good reason to."

Danny tilted her chin so she was gazing into his eyes. "I don't have any objections to that," he said, and kissed her again.

Adam nudged Hawkes in the ribs. "I told you, twenty on Lindsay. Pay up."

Author's Note: Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who read, reviewed, put this on alert or favorites. You guys are the BEST. I've started work already on my next piece and I am SUPER excited about it. The plot bunny has donned his fedora. Which can only mean one thing...stay tuned!