Rebecca felt the relentless butterflies in her stomach. Did they not know she had more important things to focus on? And that yawning; she was explicitly clear about no yawning, yet her mouth betrayed her. Iris was not as fussy last night, but that was subjective given how the baby had warped what Rebecca could consider her “regular” sleep schedule.

Raising Iris was… well, any newborn was a challenging investment of time and energy. Most babies did not have a one in thirty-some-odd chance to burn through their bedsheets or get caught on something with a pudgy arm full of quills. The Mansion, to its credit, was as supportive as any collective of dozens of people could be, but the experience was still exciting, terrifying, and exhausting.

In theory, this could have waited. They were under no time constraints. The only deadline Rebecca and Mirror had came from their own patience, and therein lied the problem: the engaged couple struggled to wait any longer to take two steps they felt were a long time coming.

A courthouse wedding still required a witness and while the couple hesitated to lean on Gemma again after her help with the birth, Becca’s former guidance counselor-turned-colleague-and-friend was happy to be there for the momentous occasion. From there, it was a matter of collecting all the paperwork and necessary documents for the wedding, as well as a second folder of paperwork for after their vows.

A small ceremony. They would celebrate with their friends at the Mansion, but amidst the hectic year of big moments, they wanted today to be a more intimate family affair.

Rebecca’s fiancé (for the next half hour now) was waiting for their witness to get to the courthouse, so the Scot waited through her last moments as a single woman in her tea-length dress. She smiled at her oldest daughter who she hoped was sitting patiently for what would be a quick event with an important surprise at the end. And of course, Rebecca’s mismatched eyes kept drifting to the door, knowing she would see her life partner walking in any moment.

"This is a one-time thing" Maya assured Mrs. Taylor-Cervantes as they walked up the steps of the courthouse together. Gemma looked somewhat skeptical about whether she would make it all they way without taking a tumble like a silent era movie heroine. Maya didn't normally wear heels. It took all her Danger Room dexterity training to walk with relative safety in them.

The wedding happened to be a Maya day. She could have worn flats. Hell, she could have worn jeans and a t-shirt for all Becca cared; they were all too happy to finally get married, and for nailing down a day when Iris was safe enough to be around so that she could be babysat. But Becca was also wearing a cute dress, and Maya, catching up to her and Kalos now, wanted to do something nice. By wearing something nice. And that involved heels. Her dress was more cream than white, and elegantly loose, tied under her breasts with a ribbon. Becca could have the bouquet. She needed her hands for balance.

"We're here" Maya smiled as they made it to the hallway where Becca and Kalos were waiting. "Are you ready?"

Kalos had to be grown up now. She was a big sister and she was wearing a rather grown up dress. She looked more grown up now, having grown tremendously in height after being introduced to proper nutrition and fresh foods. So she had to act like it, too.

Accompanying Becca, she hadn't squeezed her hand too hard (Becca was still a bit sore from her baby surgery, after all). She fought the vertigo and did not once complain that she felt that she might fall into the sky (they had brought a pretty parasol and that definitely helped despite the wind that tried to rip it from her hands). She did not complain that the witness they chose would make it impossible for her to stand (she would just keep her distance quietly).

Kalos gave Becca's hand another squeeze when Maya showed up with Gemma and baby Iris in tow. Becca didn't need her moral support any more. Her best friend was here to do the wedding thing. Kalos slid off to the perimeter of the wall and beamed her happiness brightly enough to be seen from outer space.

> "Are you ready?"

Despite knowing that question was not intended for her, Kalos felt compelled to answer.

"I'm so so ready. Get married!" She clapped her hands which sounded like a hollow slap of porcelain.

Watching Maya make her entrance, Rebecca grinned at her beautiful soon-to-be wife. It was a rare sight to see Maya in a dress, but she could sure wear it. ”Aww, ye got aw dressed up jus for me?” She embraced and kissed her mirrorhopper once she was in arm’s reach, looking her over before returning to her eyes. ”Ah woods be jist as excited if ye were in sweats. Ye dae look gorgeous though.”

Maya asked if they were ready, and before Becca could answer, Kalos chimed in. Becca felt that warm feeling in her chest that she loved. Kalos did not leave the Mansion for just anything; her being here mattered. She replied to the young girl’s hand with a gentle squeeze of her own. Absolutely beaming, Becca nodded. ”Ye heard th’ yoong lady. Let’s gae gie married.”

Arm in arm with Maya, they entered and approached their officiant, a perky middle-aged woman named Leona. Gemma and Kalos could take seats (far enough apart for Kalos’s safety.)

The ceremony began, and while it did not carry the same lengthy process of a church wedding, they still had the opportunity to exchange vows. Rebecca almost missed the call for her vows, distracted by the warm, perfect smile of the woman she was about to marry. When she caught herself, she mouthed an apology and started.

”Through th' bad an' th' life-threatenin' in our lives, yoo've had mah back an' Ah've had yoors. Yoo're aways reit beside me when Ah need ye. Ah want tae be yer ally an' yer partner fer everythin' life can throw at us.

“Ah promise, through missions an' th' big moments an' raisin' our tois lovely girls, Ah'll be th' one wi' mah hand in yoors, lovin' every minute ay it. Coz yoo're th' one 'at Ah see mah life wi'. Yoo're th' one it jist... fits wi'.”

Rebecca took a deep breath, taking the last step to where they were now. ”Ah loove ye, Maya, an' Ah want tae loove ye forever.”

>>”Aww, ye got aw dressed up jus for me? Ah woods be jist as excited if ye were in sweats. Ye dae look gorgeous though.”

"You do too" Maya smiled, blushing a little bit. Becca looked better. But she was still glad she did not show up in sweats. That might have been pushing the casual wedding a little too far. Especially since even Kalos was dressed up, and very excited. She chimed in before Becca could answer the question.

>>”Ye heard th’ yoong lady. Let’s gae gie married.”

They walked into the room hand in hand, and stood before the friendly officiant while Gemma and Kalos took opposite corners of the room. Maya felt giddy with excitement, and from the way Becca was looking at her, the redhead must have felt the same. It was time for the vows before they knew it. Becca went first. The look on her face was vow enough, but she also had words to say.

Maya felt some tears burning her eyes by the time she was done.

"Can I kiss her yet?" she asked, glancing at the official, who chuckled, and mother the word 'vows'. Right. It was only fair. Maya turned back to Becca.

"Becca... You have been my best friend for a long time. And my teammate. And the woman I love. And the mother of our children. All of those things make me so happy... You are my family, and you are my home. And I am so happy that now you will be my wife too. Whatever comes next, I want to live all of it with you. I love you."

It was okay to cry. She'd been told it was okay. Still, Kalos was caught unaware by a whole surge of warm fuzzies. Someday, maybe Kalos would find her Becca or her Maya. Wouldn't it be fun to help Iris find her true love? They were all going to do that someday. And that was so, so beautiful.

Rebecca knew Maya would love anything Becca said for her vows, but the way her fiancée’s eyes glistened offered instant validation. Maya’s desire to be married and kissing her as soon as possible forced Rebecca to bite her lip so she could stifle the urge to laugh.

Maya’s own confession of love and commitment left Rebecca on Cloud Nine. How was she this lucky? How was any of this real? That she, the once-upon-a-time self-proclaimed relationship kryptonite, could be standing here, her mismatched eyes stung by the need to cry, while the person she trusted and loved more than anyone else promised her forever.

That was all Rebecca needed for this to be the perfect wedding. The officiant was barely finished instructing them before Rebecca carefully slipped a gleaming wedding band on her favorite person’s left ring finger.

”By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you spouse and wife.” The officiant smirked, looking to Maya. ”NOW you may kiss the bride.”

Rebecca leaned into Maya’s arms, melting into her first kiss as Rebecca Grey-Morris. And it was everything she hoped and more.

Finally, they got to kiss. It was an amazing kiss. Maya was vaguely aware that Kalos was watching, making happy noises. She wrapped her arms around Becca, burning this moment into her memories with every little detail. It was perfect.

Once they finally came up for air, Maya kissed Becca on there forehead. "Hey, Mrs. Grey-Morris. Shall we do the other thing?" still holding Becca's hand, she looked over at Kalos with a bright smile. "Come here, kid."

The other thing? Whatever it was, she was in. She was invited, she was here, she was in. Kalos did, however, worry that she was a real mess. She took a moment to mop her weepy eyes before she popped up off her bench and ran full throttle toward Maya. She wasn't aiming to tackle her, but she wasn't exactly subtle since there was no baby in arms to worry about. She flung her arms wide and tried to get both Becca and Maya in one tackle-hug and a laugh.

"Next is ice cream, right?" Surely they hadn't forgotten that she was promised ice cream?

If this was how today ended, this would already be the best day of Rebecca's life. She never needed a big wedding, but Rebecca always imagined being married to a partner she loved one day. She was over the moon the Maya ended up being that partner.

But Maya was not the only blessing in her life. Kalos dove forward to give her adopted mothers a big hug. She got to share this moment in their lives. This wonderful girl who was already growing into a young woman, who fought agoraphobia to be there today. She had come so far, and Rebecca could not be more proud.

And for all that growing she was still so innocent. "Ice cream is comin, Ah promise." Rebecca smiled, going back to her stack of papers and finding the right ones. "But first, we hae a question for ye."

Rebecca was sure she practiced this offer as many times as her vows. "Ye're ain ay th' best parts ay our lives, Kalos. Ah've been blessed tae help raise ye. We loove ye loch family coz ye're our family."

Holding out the papers, Rebecca would let Maya explain the rest. "If ye want tae, we'd loch tae make 'at official."

Maya laughed as Kalos barreled into them, almost throwing her off balance because of the heels. They had a nice group hug. The kid really was the best kid. Along with Iris. She absolutely deserved ice cream.

>>"Ice cream is comin, Ah promise. But first, we hae a question for ye."

They had discussed this with Becca in detail. They had the papers ready, but they decided that presenting the question on the big day would add to its importance. It wasn't like they hadn't discussed the topic of being a family before. But this was an important moment, and they wanted it to feel important to Kalos too.

>>"Ye're ain ay th' best parts ay our lives, Kalos. Ah've been blessed tae help raise ye. We loove ye loch family coz ye're our family. If ye want tae, we'd loch tae make 'at official."

"We have prepared the papers for it" Maya explained "So, if you'd like to... we can officially adopt you today. I know we already are a family, but we would be honored to be your parents on the record too."

They loved her like family because she was family. Kalos had heard that before and it made her feel one part guilty, one part all melty inside. She wanted to tell them that they didn't have to. She wanted to tell them that it was okay how things were, but... but they wanted this too? Kalos accepted a stack of papers with watery eyes she held wide so she wouldn't start crying again. She could have read them, if she could focus. She couldn't really focus.

They already were a family--no takebacks. But once it was on paper, officially, that meant something a little bit more. It meant no matter what. It meant... they didn't just tolerate her. They really wanted her.

She hugged the papers to her chest.

"Can we? What do I do? I want to." The officiant helpfully directed her to loosen her death grip on the papers and that all they had to do was sign. Kalos didn't have to sign as she was under age, but she wanted to. She insisted, in fact, because she wanted to see her name right next to theirs.

Rebecca placed a reassuring hand on Kalos' shoulder, letting the young woman process her emotions. The tears welling in Kalos's eyes were contagious. It was a big moment for a girl who grew up on the streets alone, and for someone who grew to love that girl as a daughter, watching her realize she would always have a home with them was everything.

"We can. Maya an' Ah awready signed our part coz we cannae wait fer ye tae be our daughter officially." Officially because she had been that for a long time now in their hearts. Rebecca pointed to a line on the papers where a child of fourteen or older would sign to consent. "Ye'll sign yer name here an' we'll gae tae an' office two hallways doon. We'll hand the paperwork in, an' then we can gae gie ice cream. Sae are ye ready tae be Kalos Grey-Morris?"

Admittedly, there was probably a processing time while the court got everything in order, but why get lost in the minutia? Today would be the day they remembered as the anniversary of them becoming a family.

Maya was sure she was going to remember the look on Kalos' face for the rest of her life. It was so pure. Pure joy, mostly and she hugged the girl as they handed the papers over.

>>"Can we? What do I do? I want to."

>>"Ye'll sign yer name here an' we'll gae tae an' office two hallways doon. We'll hand the paperwork in, an' then we can gae gie ice cream. Sae are ye ready tae be Kalos Grey-Morris?"

Kalos signed the papers. She had been getting good at writing recently, and now she could use it for something great. Once all the signatures were witnessed, Maya grinned at her brand new family. "Ice cream it is."

She walked over to Gemma to take Iris. Gemma insisted they should take a picture together, and Maya handed the counselor her phone. "Family photo?"

Okay. Now they were just teasing her. Ice cream. No wait. Adoption. Now ice cream. No wait. A picture!

She really had to wipe her face up. Kalos tried, and likely failed, to get herself in photo-ready order before holding up the signed certificates and scooting in close to her family and smiling. "Cheese!" She didn't like her teeth, well actually other people didn't like her teeth since they weren't all smooth and human-looking. Dang. Had her teeth been showing?

"Ice cream?" Also, did she get to keep the papers? Kalos tried to unwrinkle them a bit in case the answer was no.