((Takes place on Saturday, June 21st, 2014.))

Traditions are not something easily discarded. They can be created, nurtured, adapted - but to discard a tradition, one has to wade through a crowd of complaint and upset, never being able to make more than one or two understand just why that tradition has been set aside. So the bride walked down the beach-set aisle on the arm of her great-uncle - with various family members carefully seated close by, in case of walking stick/sand mishaps. The groom wore a suit and tie. The celebrant said the words and guided them through the vows. And just as the tradition was threatening to overwhelm a thoroughly untraditional couple, something new came forward. No candle, no trite words, but sand, poured from two hands into a beautiful glass heart.

"Just as these grains of sand can no longer be separated so too shall your lives be. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. and Mrs. King!"

Now, perhaps the bride and groom should have been let in on this, but the bridesmaids had a rather unconventional matron of honor leading the way. As Helena and Tommy turned to share their smiles with the family and friends who had joined them, the brightly colored collection of women to their right let rip with deafeningly squeaky cheers, and performed an enthusiastic can-can that only ended when Piper tripped over her own feet, banged into Vicki, who then knocked Dru, and sent Jasmin sprawling backwards onto the sand with her dress over her face, laughing like a drain. And very pretty panties she had on, too.

It was one of those romantic moments that was only supposed to happen once in a lifetime, but what made it really memorable was the sight of four silly girls can-canning on the beach until they all fell over onto the sand like dominoes. There were a few gasps among the gathered crowd, but mostly the moment was rejoined with laughter over the bridesmaids mingled with cheers for the newly-wed couple. Even Old Man Granger couldn't help but laugh at the silliness taking place before him. This was one couple who embraced life to the fullest and never let life get them down. Several of the groomsmen rushed over to help the girls to their feet, but one slightly hyperactive dog named Cosmo managed to knock at least two of them to the sand in all the excitement. Those two unlucky groomsmen happened to be Jack and Josh.

One thing this non-traditional couple had gone for a a fully paid up photographer - their bridal party's panties were being snapped even as they were helped up from the sand. Helena giggled, hugging into Tommy's side tenderly. "I think that went off pretty well, how about you?"

"I think Jack is gonna bribe the photographer not to print that photo!" Tommy replied, laughing, as he hugged his new bride against him and dipped his head to touch a kiss to her nose. "I love you, Mrs. King." It wasn't the surname that was printed on his birth certificate, but he didn't care. He'd left home long ago to reinvent himself as Tommy King, and no one on Rhy'Din much cared who he was before that.

She smiled up at him, enjoying the warm sand between her bare toes as he kissed her nose. "I love you back, Mr. King," she promised, rising up on those toes to deliver a slightly more appropriate kiss for a newly married couple. "So what now, do you think" Should we pose, or trash the dress straight away?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm dying to get out of this suit," he replied with a dimpled grin. "Shall we cue the band?" What good was a beach wedding without a little surfing music, after all" This was one couple who was definitely not following convention.

"Now that sounds like a plan," Lena agreed with a chuckle, glancing down as a small person who had only recently learned to walk without holding hands toddled unsuccessfully toward her father and ended up embracing Tommy's leg rather than fall over. "Look, Uncle Tommy! Emily came to say congratulations!"

"Well, hello, Emily!" Tommy greeted the toddler, bending over to sweep her up off her feet and into his arms. "When's your dad gonna let me teach you to surf?" he teased, knowing she was way too young for that yet.

Jon overheard the question and came to rescue his daughter from the bride and groom. "I think we might want to teach her to swim first!"

"Wow, when did the dork become responsible?" Lena teased her brother fondly, jumping in surprise as a small hand grabbed her hair. She looked over her shoulder to find that Vicki had already reclaimed her son and they were both behind her.

"Are we gonna see you two on a surfboard?" Tommy asked the pair, handing Emily back over to her father. Who knew he was so fond of children"

Jon chuckled at the question. "Skis, maybe. Surfboard, doubtful."

"This, from the man who tried to get lessons from my fiance the first time he met him," Lena laughed, glancing at the men from where she was playing with Ben in Vicki's arms. "You could rock the rolled up pants look, Jonny. Sort of. Or swap clothes with your wife."

Jon laughed. "Oh, no! You're not getting me in drag, Lena, no matter how drunk I get." He wasn't really planning on getting drunk anyway, not when they had two small children to look after. He had worn a dress once, but that was only after he'd swapped bodies with Vicki, and he had no intentions of repeating that adventure anytime soon.

"You should have invited Mataya if you wanted Jon in drag," Vicki murmured impishly, sending Lena into fits of giggles at the thought of the bubbly theater-owner bullying her brother into a dress and winning.

"I am not dressing in drag, not even for Mataya," Jon replied, still chuckling, though it really depended on the part he was playing on stage. His smile softened as he leaned close to brush a kiss against his sister's cheek, his arms full of Emily. "Congratulations, Midget. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Jonny," his little sister smiled back at him. Despite the growth of their family, they were still the core, the siblings who had grown up together and opened their hearts to an older brother and a younger sister. Her hand slid into Tommy's, not wanting to let go. "Hey, Mr. King, didn't you say something about a band?"

Of course, it helped that the happy couple had been followed into the water by the musicians' enthusiastic Golden Lab, who was splashing about to his heart's content and providing a welcome distraction while Tommy and Lena navigated the interesting problem of both getting onto the same surfboard in soggy clothes. As Rufus held onto his shrieking wife - laughing at her over-reaction, naturally - the waves began to rise, and the cheering got louder as the guests finally realized that the first dance had been replaced by a first surf.

What better way to celebrate a beach wedding than to replace the first dance with a first surf, especially when the groom was a professional surfer" They'd been practicing for weeks to get it right, as if one person per surfboard wasn't hard enough to navigate. Thankfully, the waves seemed to be cooperating today, at least long enough to get them out into the water. In the meantime, Jack and Jaz were doing their own rendition of a popular Beach Boys' tune that seemed to fit their best friends like a glove.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older Then we wouldn't have to wait so long And wouldn't it be nice to live together In the kind of world where we belong You know its gonna make it that much better When we can say goodnight and stay together ..." The pair sang together in perfect harmony, guitars strumming.

It wasn't just the professional who was photographing the unexpected tandem surf - even Piper had managed to wrangle her bag off Lyneth to get her camera out. And there might have been some cheating going on - the flower girl herself, resplendent in bright yellow, was concentrating fiercely on the couple on the surfboard, which might have accounted for the surprise on Lena's face when she wobbled and didn't fall off. But then, Lynnie had a flare for the romantic, and she didn't like to disappoint. The shrieking had stopped, though Miranda had just about collapsed in Rufus' arms. While Lyneth had a flare for the romantic, Miranda seemed to have a flare for the dramatic.

In the few short months since they'd moved to the Cove, Tommy had quickly learned and mastered these waves. It was a piece of cake compared to some places he'd surfed, the waves just high enough to offer some fun without being too dangerous. He did most of the work, steering the board from the back while Lena focused on maintaining her balance. He almost reached for her when she wobbled, but she seemed to regain her balance quickly enough. The crowd wasn't going to see any dramatic or dangerous stunts being performed, but what they did see looked like a whole lot of fun. Even Johnny Storm - who loathed water - was heard cheering and whooping somewhere on the beach.

Of course, no one surfs straight back to the sand unless they get a phenomenal run of good luck, and once Piper had the perfect picture, Lyneth stopped concentrating. In fact, the little girl laughed out loud as Lena over-balanced, grabbed for her husband, and took them both crashing into the shallows, while the board flipped high into the air to the applause of their gathered crowd.

All of this, while Jack and Jasmin played and sang.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up In the morning when the day is new And after having spent the day together Hold each other close the whole night through Happy times together we've been spending I wish that every kiss was never ending Wouldn't it be nice ..."

Jon laughed when his sister went topsy-turvy into the water, taking her newlywed husband with her. "Looks like fun. Maybe we should sign up for lessons. What do you think, Vic?" he asked, grinning over at his wife, while Emily clapped her hands along with the crowd from her perch atop her father's shoulders.

"Tempting to launch into it right now, but I honestly think Miranda will scalp the next member of the wedding party who so much as gets a toe wet," his wife laughed back to him, flicking a glance over to Miranda just to make sure the woman was still halfway coherent.

"That would be why I brought a change of clothing," Jon replied, with a smirk, two steps ahead of his wife for a change. Who wanted to stay in formal wear all day when you were at the beach' Even if all they did was splash around a little while someone minded the kids, he thought they deserved to have a little fun for awhile, and there were plenty of people there who'd jump at the chance to spoil Ben and Emily for a little while. Somewhere nearby, it seemed Rufus had managed to calm Miranda down, reminding her it was just a dress and there were plenty of photos, but you only got married once - at least, in theory.

"Ah, very sneaky, Mr. Granger, I like it," Vicki chuckled, leaning close to kiss her husband affectionately. By the water's edge, Milo was busily shaking the water from his fur as Lena and Tommy stumbled up onto the sand, laughing like idiots and generally looking very pleased with themselves.

It was perfect timing as Jack and Jasmin were just coming to the end of the song when the happy couple emerged from the water to rousing applause from their family and friends.

"Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do We could be married And then we'd be happy Wouldn't it be nice ..."

Whoever was coordinating the day had their timing absolutely perfect. As Lena and Tommy rejoined the group, dripping and grinning like fools, a little gong sounded to announce that the food was ready for people to enjoy, beginning a small stampede toward the shaded buffet and grill. What was supposed to be a wedding reception degraded quickly into a beach party, the perfect celebration for the two who had just been joined in matrimony.

Through the raucous laughter, Lynnie let rip with a loud yell. "Look at Cian! He's surfing!" And, indeed, so he was, with Gabi's twin boys clinging onto his legs, no less. Of course, from the beach, no one could see the two hands holding the board straight and steady on the rise of the wave from beneath. Leilani was definitely in her element today.

Some might call it cheating, but to Cian and Leilani, it was just the way things were. Few knew that so long as he wore that shark's tooth amulet around his neck, he could breathe underneath water just as easily as his little mermaid. Of course, the same could not be said for Gabi's boys, but so long as they were with Cian and Leilani, they'd be safe in the water. Cian shouted in gleeful enjoyment as he and the boys rode the waves with a little help from his mermaid.

"Now that is very cool," Lena grinned cheerfully, fully aware that Leilani had to be underneath the board. She wasn't sure if Tommy knew that, though. Loading up her plate, she lingered in the shade to give her skin a chance to recover from the relentlessly warm sun, chewing happily on food she was going to have to seek out the creator of. The suggestion for the caterer had been Jon, but he wasn't telling just who was behind the little cafe that had agreed to take on a wedding while in the middle of a management changeover.

"That's cheating!" Miranda called from the water, upon seeing Leilani guiding the board, though she knew it was for the safety of Gabi's boys. She didn't get to protest for long before Rufus dunked her under the water again.

Most everyone except those in the water had gathered at the food tent, including the bridge and groom. Jon's voice was heard calling to those in the water, "Come and get it before it's all gone!"

Tommy was beaming a smile at his wife and looking happier than she'd ever seen him. "Looks like it's turning out to be a good party."

"Oh, I definitely agree with you there," Lena assured him, leaning close to kiss him tenderly, buttery lips and all. She tucked one arm about his waist, watching as Jack and Jaz finally caught their dog, Milo, and dragged him into the food tent with the promise of scraps. "It's good to see everyone so happy." She lifted her head, looking up at her husband with a soft smile. "Are you happy, moonbeam?"

Tommy offered her a grilled shrimp off his plate, that smile still beaming widely from his boyishly handsome face. "I'm not sure happy is the right word to describe what I'm feeling. What about you, Midge?"

"Mmm ..." It took a moment for her to answer. "Content," she said softly. He knew how difficult her life had been until this point - even his first meeting with her had been painful for her, having already lost a version of him once. To say she was content was the greatest outcome either of them could have hoped for. "So the question now is ....how long before Jack and Jaz have kids and make us catch them up with that, too?"

Content. Tommy couldn't agree with her more. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Tommy could say he that he was honestly and blissfully content. Both of their lives had been difficult to this point in their own way. If it hadn't been for Lena, Tommy wouldn't be alive right now, Jack wouldn't be with Jasmin, and the list went on. There was one thing Tommy knew for sure - life didn't get any better than this, and he couldn't imagine feeling any happier than he did right at this moment. He leaned close, pretty a soft, sweet kiss to her lips, both of them tasting like butter. "Does it matter" We've got the rest of our lives, Midge. Let's just live it one day at a time."

His new wife giggled softly, fully on board with his easy-going philosophy these days. "Is it okay to make one teensy eensie little plan?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Will it completely break the bank of Tommy to plan on skinny dipping with my husband at midnight tonight?"

Tommy grinned back at his new wife, only too happy to comply with her wishes. "Like that night on the beach back in Half Moon Bay," he told her leaning his forehead against hers, though Jack was the third wheel that night, and he'd found his own girl now.

Nose to nose, she grinned back at him, delighted to find herself here. A year ago, she had been backpacking in Ghana, all alone, bitter and angry and resentful of life in general. And now ....married, living in a house she had designed with this wonderful man in her arms, pursuing her artistic dreams (quietly). It was a world away from what had been, and she couldn't have been happier for it. "Every day is a new beginning."

"Every day with you is a dream come true," he countered, dropping a kiss against her nose, but the romantic moment didn't last long as Milo's tail suddenly thumped against their legs and he woofed as if to get their attention.

Startled by the arrival of one dog didn't even come close to what happened when Cosmo, Bella, and Loki decided to come and see what had interested the puppy in their midst. The dogs on Maple Grove were multiplying almost as fast as the children! "Aww, c'mon, guys, give a bride some room!"

Whether it was the food or the company that had drawn the group of canines to the bride and groom was hard to say, but it didn't last long as Johnny Storm came to the rescue, dangling a row of hotdogs like bait to draw the dogs away from the tables of food. "Oh, Bella!" he called, knowing if one of them took the bait, the rest would follow. "Look what Daddy's got!"

"Daddy?" Vicki looked up from where she'd found a seat to feed Ben, leaving the feeding of the child on solids to the father. After all, what dad doesn't like peeling shrimp for an increasingly impatient toddler" "You're getting a little too attached to that dog, Johnny!"

"She loves me!" Johnny called back at Vicki with a silly grin on his face. "Watch this!" Of course Johnny couldn't resist playing with fire, especially when he had an audience, even if that audience was made up of four hungry canines. He snapped his fingers to turn on his flame, roasting each weenie one at a time and tossing them to each dog in turn, starting with the puppy. "Catch, Milo!"

Josh smirked at Lyneth's question. "Oh, yes, he's adorable."

Johnny scowled at Josh, before looking back at Lyneth. "Boys are handsome, not pretty. You," he said, gently poking her nose with a finger, "are adorable. Livvie, can we take her home with us?" he asked his wife.

"I know," Lyneth assured him warmly, wrapping her arms around his neck and turning her eyes onto Liv, who looked more than a little surprised at the question.

"Um ....Well, I think there are a couple of parents around here somewhere who might object," she pointed out with a smile, finding it hard not to be charmed at the sight of her Johnny having his face smushed by an overly affectionate child.

Johnny looked a little disappointed, but it passed quickly. "You know what?" he asked, turning back to Lyneth. "We're gonna have a daughter of our own soon. Would you like to come meet her sometime and maybe go out for ice cream?" Their mutual love of ice cream was one thing they had in common.

"Choklit?" The little terror's eyes lit up, and a moment later, she raised the roof on her volume control. "Daddy! The Burny Man is making a baby, and he says I can have ice cream if I play with it! Can I?"

Johnny winced as Lyneth screamed in his ear, glad he had two of them because she just might have deafened him in that one. "We're not making a baby," he pointed out with a sigh, tossing Desmond an apologetic look as the man turned his way. Desmond was the one Granger Johnny always felt intimidated by, though he wasn't sure why.

"Uh," Desmond started uncertainly, assuming Lyneth didn't mean now, tonight.

Piper, who was slightly more aware of what was going on than Des, rolled her eyes. "Lynnie, listen when people say things," she suggested. "Not a baby, and not tonight. Try again."

The little half-Fae girl sighed as though she'd been deeply insulted, and lowered her tone. "When I come and see your daughter, can we have choklit ice cream' Please?"

"We're fostering," Johnny explained to Piper and Desmond. The cat was out of the bag now. It wouldn't be long before the entire Granger clan knew that Johnny and Liv were getting ready to adopt a child. Johnny turned his attention back to the little girl in his arms, charmed by the way she rephrased her question. "I already told you that you could, so long as it's okay with your parents."

Piper nodded her understanding, smiling encouragingly even as Johnny got sucked into conversation with Lyneth once again. The little girl wanted a clear concise answer before she turned her charm onto her parents to make it happen. "Choklit ice cream?" she asked again, forcing Johnny to clarify, or get stuck with her attached to him for the rest of the party.

He finally got that what she was asking wasn't so much about having ice cream, but more about the specific flavor. He chuckled at her insistence on choklit. "Of course! Whatever flavor you like!"

Desmond wandered over to rescue Johnny from Lyneth, or was it the other way around" "Congratulations," he offered, smiling as he reached for that little imp of a daughter. "When is it official?"

"The day after tomorrow," Liv supplied from where she was sitting, content to watch the party around them rather than actively participate. Besides, Old Man Granger was here, and she was still intimidated by him. "We're bringing her home on Monday."

"Her name is Felicity, but she prefers Fliss," Johnny volunteered, though he didn't volunteer much more.

"If you need any help with the legalities, let me know," said Desmond. "I've sort of become the family attorney," he added, though there was no sort of about it.

"Even for ....well, not really family?" Liv asked curiously, looking more than a little startled as Lyneth lunged out of Des' arms and onto her lap. She really wasn't used to children - babies, yes, and she was about to get a crash course in teenager, but children were a little out of her league right now.

Desmond chuckled. "If Humphrey says you're family, you're family," he replied, leaning toward Liv as Lyneth lunged her way onto the startled woman's lap.

Johnny smirked at the look on Liv's face. It was about time she got a taste of the little imp first hand.

Finding herself nose to nose with Lyneth Granger was definitely something Liv hadn't expected today. The little imp of a girl wrapped her arms around Liv's neck and held on tight, looking into her eyes fiercely. Then she smiled in a way that Des and Piper knew well, the Old Soul smile of the grown Fae that resided inside her, and gently patted Liv's cheek. "Don't worry," Lyneth said affectionately. "There's an answer coming, and you're going to have a big full house that's always laughing. Just you wait." Then she planted a kiss on Liv's lips, and twisted, demanding to be lifted up by her father once again.

Liv stared, not entirely sure what had just happened. "An answer to what?"

Johnny's mouth had dropped open when he'd overheard Lyneth's prophetic-sounding statement to Liv, and he turned a puzzled look at Des, who shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"Whatever you're waiting for an answer on," he replied, stating the obvious. "Don't worry yourself too much about it. Lyneth is usually right." In fact, he couldn't think of an incident when she wasn't right. He just hoped that boded well for their own future.

There was only one thing Liv could think of that they were waiting for an answer on, but Lyneth hadn't said whether that answer would be good or bad. Still, at least they knew now that they wouldn't be waiting indefinitely.

As the bewildered couple exchanged glances, a yell went up from one of the central tables, and all eyes turned to find Dru standing on her chair, helpfully supported by Josh. She raised her glass, beaming brightly. "Friends and family," she called out, cheerful and for once not worrying what anyone thought of her, "there's supposed to be a speech, but I didn't think of one. So I'm going to do a toast. To the bride and groom - may they never get bored!"

"Hear hear!" Jon called from somewhere among the crowd, holding up a glass to toast the bride and groom, followed by everyone else present who had a glass handy. "To Lena and Tommy," Jon joined in. Though he wasn't the best man, he was the brother of the bride and the one person in the crowd who probably knew and loved her the most after Tommy. They'd been through a lot together, and he was overjoyed that she'd finally found happiness. "May you be as happy the rest of your days as you both are today."

As the glasses were raised high, Lena and Tommy stood in the midst of this mismatched family they had been born into and created for themselves, surrounded by the bonds that nothing could truly break. Yes, they were an nontraditional couple, and yes, they'd set a few of those traditions aside for today, but they'd joined themselves in the one tradition neither had been able to ignore. Two had become one, in the eyes of the gods and of man, and would remain so, all the days of their lives.

((Big scene, lots of characters, and we survived! Woot! Lots of love and thanks to my writing partner!))