Archive of Our Own

So what if they had gotten a little carried away after dancing in the kitchen? Could anyone actually blame them? Blame Maya for letting her soon to be wife drag her into their bedroom to have her way with her after being apart for weeks? Could they blame the couple for not being able to contain their excitement over the events that would take place in a few hours? The firefighter didn’t think so and that’s why she let the brunette do everything she wanted with her even when they were in a tight schedule. And Maya Bishop loved schedules.

It wasn’t her fault either that she didn’t hear her best friend enter their apartment with the spare key she still kept. If she was being honest, she may have hear Andy say “Hola, I’m here!” as she closed the door but she was too busy focusing on… other things. She also may have noticed the latina calling out for her before a loud thump of something hitting something else and the clinking of keys and other stuff hitting the floor. But it wasn’t until she heard the clear sound of a phone ringing that her brain reacted, telling the blonde she and Carina were not alone anymore and that they also were late for their own wedding.

The firefighter slid from under Carina and put on her clothes in a hurry as the Italian giggled in bed, partly because of what they were doing a few moments ago but mostly because of the look on Maya’s face when she realized Andy was in the apartment.

“Shut up.” Maya whispered/yelled to her fiancée as she shoved her feet into her sneakers but that only made the doctor laugh a little harder.

The blonde couldn’t help but smile at the other woman as she got up from the chair next to the vanity and reached for the door.

“Hi!” She said, closing the door behind her before walking towards Andy. “Hi, um… Sorry, we’re here.”

The latina got up from her crouching position behind one of the armchairs a d looked at Maya, forcing a smile on her lips. “Okay, bye, love you too.” She said into her phone before ending the call.

Maya stood in front of Andy. “Huh…” Her mouth was still a little dry so she had to swallow. “We, ah… we just… got out of the shower.” She said, pointing at the hall behind her, even though her hair was completely dry and messy, screaming sex, giving away the lie she had just told.

The lieutenant only smiled at her friend, deciding to go along with the lie. “Let’s get you married.” She said, followed by a soft laughter which Maya mimicked.

Just as Andy guided Maya to the dining area with a hand on her shoulder, there was a knock on the door. The latina looked at the blonde for an explanation.

“It must be Dr. Shepherd. She’s here to help Carina get ready.” The bride said, walking to the door and opening it. “Dr. Shepherd, hi! Come in.”

The neurosurgeon smiled at the firefighter behind her mask, removing it once she was inside the apartment. “I got tested yesterday, it was negative so don’t worry.” She mentioned as she put the mask in one of her pockets and began to remove her jacket. “And it’s Amelia, please.”

Maya nodded as she took the jacket from the doctor’s hands to put it away. “Of course, Amelia.”

Amelia stopped for a moment to take a good look at the blonde. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. “Nice hairstyle. Are you going like that to the wedding?”

Andy, who was standing next to the glass table, snorted but tried to cover it with her hand over her mouth.

The sound made the doctor turn to see the lieutenant and smile at her. “Hi Andy, how’s Robert’s leg? Everything good?”

The latina’s happy expression fell a little at the mention of her husband but quickly faked a smile. “Yeah, everything is great.”

Amelia only nodded before returning her gaze to the blonde. “So, is Carina…?” She trailed off, pointing at the hallway behind her with her thumb over her shoulder.

“Yeah, she’s in the bedroom. Second door to the right.” Maya said.

The doctor nodded at her and then at Andy. “I better get started there.” She turned around and made her way to the bedroom. “What I missed out on…” She said under her breath.

That made Maya turn her head so fast she almost got whiplashed. “What was that?” She asked, sounding more confused than upset.

Amelia looked at the blonde over her shoulder, her eyebrows arching in surprise as she wasn’t expecting Maya to hear her. “Nothing, I said nothing.” She knocked on the door several times. “Carina, I hope you’re decent cause I’m coming in.” And she disappeared behind the door.

The doctor frowned when she found the bedroom empty. “Carina?” She called out, taking a few steps to the center of the room.

In that moment, the door connecting the bedroom to the bathroom opened, revealing the half naked Italian only covered by a towel and with a shower cap on her head. “Hi, Amelia, thank you so much for being here.” She approached the other doctor and wrapped her arms around her, not minding her half naked state.

Amelia returned the hug, resting her chin momentarily in the taller woman’s shoulder. “There’s nothing to thank for. That’s what friends are for.” They pulled away. “Besides, you caught my brain tumor so I kind of owe you, big time.”

Both doctors laughed at that.

“So…” The neurosurgeon trailed off, clapping her hands once. “Where should be start?”

“You could steam my outfit while I get dressed and start on my hair, sì?” Carina pointed at the door leading to the closet as she removed the shower cap with the other, her brown tresses cascading down.

“Sure!” Amelia agreed right away, heading to the closet. “So, what do you want to do with your hair?” The shorter woman asked pulling the black bag containing Carina’s jumpsuit out of the closet.

Carina, who had discarded her towel and was only covered by white lace panties, threw on the pink shirt she was wearing before since it had a wide neck perfect for taking it off later without ruining her hair and makeup. “I don’t really like my hair up so, I was thinking about just curling it a little? Just some waves.” She said, pulling up her pants to her hips, jumping slightly to get them all the way up.

The blue eyed doctor turned around with an arched brow. “Just that? Don’t you want, I don’t know, a braid or something? It doesn’t have to be a big one, maybe on the side of your head?” She suggested.

The Italian shook her head. “No, no braids. They will be a pain later.” She crossed her arms.

Amelia’s forehead puckered. “Why? They would actually keep your hair from going wild as the night goes on.”

Carina arched a suggestive brow and a playful smile appeared on her lips. “I’m thinking about the wedding night, actually. I don’t think I’ll have the patience to take the braids off and they will be uncomfortable to have when Maya tries to pull my hair or when my head is buried on the pillow.”

The neurosurgeon’s eyes opened wide before she started laughing. She loved how the OB said that kind of things without a care in the world. “Okay, point taken.” She tittered, setting the protective bag on the bed before opening it to reveal the white jumpsuit Carina had chosen. “Wow, this looks beautiful, the fabric it’s gorgeous.” She commented, running the pads of her fingers on the material. “Interesting choice to wear a jumpsuit but I totally dig it.” She added with a smirk.

Carina stood next to her friend, cocking her head as she took a look at her outfit too. “Yeah, I really like it. I’m hoping to take Maya by surprise, too.” She turned and walked to the vanity, grabbing a brush and starting to detangle her hair from her ‘shower’ with Maya.

“And what is Maya wearing?” Amelia wondered as she started to steam the jumpsuit.

“She hasn’t picked an outfit yet.” The Italian grabbed one of the hair tubes and a lock of her hair, wrapping it around the red plastic tube and rolling it to the top of her head as she spoke. “Sta impazzendo, she asked the people from the bridal shop if she could just grab a bunch of outfits and return them later.” She added with a snort.

“And they agreed?” The neurosurgeon asked, incredulous.

Carina turned towards her friend, still working on the ends of her hair. “Sì, apparently Maya’s team had saved the owner from a fire at a restaurant before the pandemic started and she remembered her.”

“Well, that’s lucky.” Amelia mentioned as she made sure there was not one crinkle left in the fabric of Carina’s outfit. “My patients just give me fruit baskets from time to time. And alcohol but I can’t enjoy that, clearly.”

“Well, you can give me the booze and I can give you the bridal shop contact when the time comes for you and Link.” The Italian commented with a chipper tone, not noticing how her friend’s shoulders tensed a bit at the mention of marriage to the father of her child.

The older woman chuckled. “Hey, can I use your bathroom?” She tried to change the subject.

The OB noticed Amelia’s nervousness then but decided not to push her. Not so long ago, she herself hadn’t been that excited about the idea of marriage. “Sure.” She pointed at the bathroom door with the hairbrush.

Amelia left Carina’s outfit on the bed and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The Italian sighed. She didn’t mean to make her friend uncomfortable. She decided to give her some space so she left the room, smiling as she heard her soon to be wife and her friend talking on the living room about Maya’s outfit.

“No! No, no, no, no. Are we going to a high school baby shower?” Andy said, folding the dress she was holding over her arm to take the hideous peach colored dress away from Maya.

“Okay, you are the wrong person for this job!” The blonde replied, her voice a pitch higher that usual.

Carina observed the exchange as she silently walked towards them, brushing her hair still. “We could be done already if she let me pick.” She said with a smile, stopping right beside Maya.

The fire captain turned to look at her fiancée. “That is bad luck!” She complained, slapping her own thigh.

“I’m not the groom.” Carina says playfully, pointing at herself.

“Then let me see what you’re wearing.” Maya retorted.

“Never. No.” The OB replied, furrowing her brows but her smile never faltering from her lips.

In that moment, Amelia popped out of the room, confused to find it empty when she got out of the bathroom. “Carina, come back here, we have to finish your hair.”

At that, the Italian turned around and skipped all the way back to the bedroom, slipping pass the neurosurgeon who was trying to take a peek at the dresses Maya had in display.

“Whatever you do, don’t pick that pink, salmon, whatever color dress. It’s horrendous.” The brunette said before closing the door.

“I told you!” Andy’s voice was heard through the door.

Both doctors smiled at that. Then, Amelia stood behind Carina, who was sitting in front of the vanity, and took the brush from her hands, taking a lock of brown hair and gently starting to brush it.

They remained in silence for a few moments before Carina spoke again.

“I’m sorry if I said something to upset you earlier.”

Amelia gave her a soft smile through the mirror and shook her head slightly. “You didn’t say anything.”

The Italian lifted an eyebrow which Amelia saw through the reflection.

“Okay, there is something.” Amelia admitted without stopping what she was doing. “But we’re not talking about it today. Today is all about you and that hot firefighter barbie of yours.”

Carina chuckled at the nickname. “She has a name, you know?”

The other doctor shrugged and smirked. “I like firefighter barbie better. It suits her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect body. And I bet a hundred bucks that I can find a barbie doll with all the gear.” Her eyes opened wide then, as if she suddenly had a great idea. “Maybe that should be my wedding present for you!”

That made Carina laugh harder.

The awkwardness in the air had faded after that and the neurosurgeon continued to help her friend get ready as they chatted about how things were going in the hospital, how was motherhood changing Amelia’s life – mentioning Link but only a bit –, Amelia teasing Carina some more about Maya and their upcoming ‘honeymoon’ at home with Carina telling the other doctor exactly what she was planning to do to her wife when the time came, almost making her blush.

Amelia stood behind Carina and grabbed the ends of her hair, gathering it carefully as to not undo their work and placed it over the OB’ shoulder so she could zip her outfit without risking her hair getting caught in the teeth of the zipper.

The neurosurgeon saw her friend smile through her reflection and she did the same. “You look beautiful, Carina. Maya is one lucky gal.”

The OB’s smile widened at the mention of the blonde, turning around to engulf the other doctor in a hug. They pulled away after a few moments and Amelia noticed the tears starting to pool in the brunette’s eyes.

“No, no crying, your makeup hasn’t set yet.” She scolded the Italian, making her laugh. “Look to the ceiling and push your tongue to the roof of your mouth, now.”

Carina scrunched her face at the instructions. “Cosa?”

“Just do it.” Amelia insisted, taking one of her fingers underneath the other woman’s chin and lifting it.

The bride did as she was told, lifting her eyebrows in surprise a moment later. “I can’t believe is working.”

“Of course it’s working!” The shorter woman said with a self-sufficient smile. “Now, stay here, I’m gonna check on your bride cause we need to get going.” She said and was out the door in a second.

She found the firefighters at the table, the blonde sitting while Andy finished her makeup.

Amelia’s face twisted when she noticed that, even though her makeup was pretty much done, she hadn’t changed into her wedding outfit.

“Why aren’t you guys done? The wedding is in less than three hours!” Amelia hissed.

“Maya here hasn’t decided what to wear.” Andy said with an accusatory tone as she finished applying setting spray over her friend’s face. “I’m going to take the dresses to my car so she can decide later.”

“Well, Carina is ready so I’m gonna take her to the restaurant now. You,” Amelia pointed at Maya, “close your eyes and you,” she pointed at Andy then, “make sure she doesn’t open them as Carina and I exit the apartment.”

Andy took two fingers to her forehead and then down as if saluting someone at the army. “Of course, Dr. Shepherd.” She said playfully.

Amelia chuckled and turned around to go to the bedroom again, finding Carina tying the belt of the gray coat she wore over her white outfit. “Maya is not quite ready but we should get going.” She said as started to get everything they had used into the big makeup bag sitting in the vanity.

“Okay, should we go in my car or yours?” The Italian asked as she checked the contents of her purse for her phone and keys.

“Yours, Andy said she’s taking Maya in hers so if we don’t take yours, you two won’t have a car to come back home. I can ask Bailey for a ride later.” Amelia explained, looking around the room to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything.

“Let’s go, then.” Carina said, placing a hand on the other woman’s shoulder.

The neurosurgeon nodded and opened the door. “Eyes closed!” She exclaimed, earning a confused look from Carina. “Not you.” She clarified and walked a few steps ahead, raising a hand to signal Carina to not walk, and peeked into the kitchen. When she made sure Maya had her eyes closed, she motioned the Italian to walk to the door, which she did with an amused look on her face.

Once the OB was out the door, Amelia followed her and grabbed her coat and gave the women in the kitchen a smile. “See you later, girls.”

The doctor quickly grabbed her stuff from her car and moved it into Carina’s, asking her for the keys because there was no way the Italian was driving to her own wedding.

They drove in comfortable silence all the way to Kaminski’s. Amelia parked the car and was unbuckling her seatbelt when she noticed the sad expression in Carina’s face and her eyes shining in a way they only do when there are tears flooding them.

“Hey.” Amelia extended a hand to cover Carina’s with her own, squeezing it. “What’s wrong?”

The OB breathed in and let it out through her mouth. “Andrea.” Was all she said.

It took Amelia a moment for her brain to switch from Andy Herrera to Andrew, as Carina was the only one who called her brother by his given name. Her furrowed brow smoothed when she realized what was happening.

She rubbed the Italian’s knuckles with her thumb in a soothing manner. “I bet you’ve lost count of the number of times people have told you ‘I can’t imagine how you’re feeling’ since Andrew died.” Amelia swallowed loudly. “But me… I don’t have to imagine it. I know exactly how you’re feeling.”

That made Carina turn her face to look at the neurosurgeon. Her eyebrows rose as she remembered something she had heard in passing.

Many years ago, when she had just arrived to Seattle, she was at the cafeteria getting something to eat. As she was exiting the place with a sad looking sandwich in her hand, something caught her eye: it was a wall with many pictures. As she got closer, she was able to read the names of the doctors in there and the inscription ‘chief of surgery’ underneath.

The first ones were old white men, from when the hospital was still called Seattle Grace. Her eyes drifted lower until she saw the familia faces of Richard Webber, Owen Hunt and Miranda Bailey, who was the only woman on that wall. Carina’s forehead furrowed when she saw the man between Richard and Owen. It was a clearly handsome man with gorgeous hair and a killer smile. His nose was kinda crooked but it gave him some charm too. But what caused her reaction was his name.

Derek Shepherd.

“Hey!” Carina called out to the first person that walked past her, motioning them with her hand to get closer. “What’s your name?” That wasn’t what she wanted to know, of course, but she was not a rude person.

“I’m Dr. Wilson.” The brunette in light blue scrubs said.

“What can you tell me about this doctor? I don’t think I’ve seen him in the hospital.” The Italian asked, pointing at the picture in question.

Jo followed the direction of her finger and her eyes widened a bit. “Oh, that’s Dr. Shepherd. He… he was a great neurosurgeon. He was Dr. Amelia Shepherd’s brother and Dr. Grey’s husband.”

“Was?” The OB softly asked.

The resident remained in silence for a moment. “He passed away a few years ago.”

Carina’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ at the information. Then, she nodded at the resident and thanked her. After that, she asked Andrea about Derek but he told her he never got to meet the neurosurgeon and Carina decided to forget about the subject, she didn’t want to bring painful memories to the people who loved him by asking around since she had no business in that.

“Derek.” Carina said, observing as her friend’s eyes started to glisten too by unshed tears.

“Derek.” Amelia confirmed with a sad smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you about him but you’ve been around for years so I assume you know about him.”

The Italian’s jaw twitched and she bit the inside of her cheek. “I know that he was your brother and Meredith’s husband but I… I never asked how he died.”

“He died a hero. He got hit by a semi after he saving four people from a car accident that happened just before.”

Carina grimaced at the revelation.

“But he was a hero even before that. And I’m not talking about the lives he saved as a doctor… and he was an excellent doctor.” The neurosurgeon smiled a little wider. “He saved me the day our father died. And he brought me back after OD’ing. He always protected our mom, our sisters and me. He could be an asshole…” Amelia chuckled, which made Carina’s lips twitch a bit. “But I know he loved us more than anything. And I loved him too. I loved him so much I named both my sons after him.”

The Italian’s eyes went round again as she heard the plural. She didn’t know Amelia had another son other than Scout. “Oh, Amelia…” She squeezed her friend’s hand.

“He walked all of our sisters down the aisle on their wedding days.” The shorter woman continued. “But he didn’t get to walk me when I married Owen. And that hurt. It hurt because I knew he would have been there, supporting me, a big smile on his stupid face, even when the rest of our family didn’t show up, but unlike them, he didn’t have a choice. And he didn’t get to meet his daughter or his nephew but…” Amelia wiped away a single tear traveling down her face. “I like to believe that, wherever he is, he can see them. I like to believe he knows I still think about him as I’m sure you think about Andrew. You have to believe he’s looking at you, right now, and that he’s happy for you. Because you deserve happiness, you deserve joy, and that doesn’t mean you’re forgetting about him. It means you’re living your life as he would have wanted you to.”

Carina didn’t know what to say. So instead, she lounged towards Amelia, wrapping her arms around the woman. Amelia did the same, rubbing her hand up and down the OB’s back. “Thank you.” The Italian whispered.

The neurosurgeon nodded, still not breaking the hug. “Eyes to the ceiling and tongue on the roof of your mouth. The only tears I want from you today have to be happy tears when you see Maya in her dress.”

Carina laughed at that but obeyed right away.

They took a moment to compose themselves and then both doctors entered the restaurant through the back door, Amelia carrying her clothes and both their purses. Carina stopped in front of the hall leading to the main area and looked from the distance.

“Amelia, I’m gonna…” Carina pointed at the tables and ornaments.

The shorter woman nodded. “Sure, I’m gonna take this to the back and get changed.” She started walking away. “If I can find where I’m supposed to go…” she whispered to herself.

The Italian slowly made her way into the big open room where, in less than two hours, she would marry the love of her life. She stood in the middle and started looking around, nervously playing with the belt holding her gray coat closed. Her eyes shone thanks to the decorative lights hanging above her head, strategically placed to light up the room with in a soft yellowish tone. Then, her chocolate orbs drifted to the beautifully ornate tables, admiring the red and white flowers in the middle of each table, the immaculate white tablecloths and the candles that gave the whole set an intimate touch. The corners of Carina’s eyes crinkled a little when she smiled at the sight of ‘Maya & Carina Oggi Spose’ right behind the table where the small yet beautiful two tier white cake would be. The OB could feel her eyes getting a little wet. She was already emotional by her chat with Amelia in the car but seeing all the effort Maya’s friends had put into their wedding was overwhelming.

“Oh, crap.” Vic said as she saw the brunette, walking out of the kitchen with some dishes in her hands.

The Italian turned around when she heard the firefighter’s voice.

“It’s no, it’s not quite ready yet.” The younger woman said, leaving the dishes she was holding on the nearest table. “I don’t…”

“Okay, this…” Carina gestured the room around them, trailing off, a little loss of words by all the emotions coursing through her. “It’s amazing.” She smiled at Vic. “This, I mean, and I, and I know you did this for Maya and not for me but, yeah…” The doctor let’s out a sigh. “Thank you, Victoria.”

Vic’s mouth twitched before her lips curved into a smile. “I did this for you too.” She lifted her arms towards Carina. “So…” The firefighter rubbed her hands together, a little nervous.

“Yeah.” The Italian said, unsure of what to do next.

“Yeah.” Vic repeated before finally taking a step towards the doctor to wrap her arms around her. “Congratulations.”

Carina hooked her arms below Vic’s and rubbed her back up and down. “Thank you.” She managed to say with a shaky voice.

The embrace didn’t last much longer and finally the two women pulled away.

“Carina, you need to know you’re family now.” Vic started, reaching for one of the Italian’s hands. “You’re part of 19. You make Maya so happy, I honestly didn’t know she could smile that much.”

Both women chuckled.

“And anyone who can make Maya go from ‘monogamy is for the weak’ to ‘I wanna be with you for the rest of my days’ has to be an amazing person.” The firefighter continued, giving the OB’s hand a squeeze. “If I was into ladies, I swear I would’ve snatched you for myself.”

That made Carina laugh a little harder.

“Now, you can’t be here. I’ll show you to the backroom where you can wait or finish getting ready.” Vic threw an arm around the doctor’s shoulder and started guiding her out.

The firefighter took Carina to the same room Amelia had found and used to change into her outfit and the neurosurgeon fussed over the Italian and her makeup. About half an hour later, Carina’s phone ringed, showing a message from Andy saying they had just arrived.

“What should I wear, Andy!?” Maya asked, almost hysterical, as she and her friend carried all the dresses to the room assigned for Maya to get ready.

“I thought you would stop freaking out about this after talking to your parents.” The latina said, closing the door behind them.

Maya sighed with her hands on her waist as she looked at the dresses for the nth time. “I’m done freaking out about them, now I’m freaking out about the fact that I’m about to get married to the most incredible woman in the world and I haven’t picked a dress yet.”

Andy stood in front of her captain and gently cupped the sides of her neck to make sure she was looking at her in the eyes. “We’ll do eeny, meeny, miny, moe if we have to but you have to calm down. Focus on the ‘getting married to the most incredible woman in the world’ part and not in the dress part, okay?”

Maya beamed at her friend’s words. “Okay.” She replied with a nod and started to remove her red jacket.

They didn’t take long to decide on what Maya would wear. The dress they finally chose hugged Maya’s body in all the right places, also letting her show off her strong back, shoulders and arms while accentuating the curves of her breast and her ass, and even though it was a white dress like the tradition dictated, it ended just above her ankles and she wouldn’t wear a veil so it gave the whole look a modern twist.

After the blonde was already in her dress, Andy gave her makeup a bit of a touch up and proceeded to get on her own outfit, with Maya helping her get her hair in order while the latina applied her makeup.

By the time they finished, they had less than half an hour left for the big event.

“Okay, I’m gonna go see if I can help in anything out there. You stay here, I don’t want you accidentally running into Carina before the ceremony.” Andy said as she secured one of her earrings.

“I just want to take a look at the place.” Maya said, taking a few steps towards the door.

“Nah, ah, ah, you stay put.” Andy insisted, getting between the blonde and the door.

The blonde arched a brow at her friend in a challenging way and then lifted her hands in defeat when the latina didn’t back down. “Alright, I’m staying here. Happy?”

Andy gave Maya a smug smirk. “Very.” She turned around and was about to reach for the door handle when she felt the blonde wrapping her fingers around her wrist. She returned her gaze to her friend who was smiling at her in a way she rarely got to see.

“Thank you, Andy. Thank you for being here and for being my friend after everything we’ve been through.” The captain said, her eyes a little glossy but with a wide grin on her lips.

Andy felt something warm crept it’s way to her chest at her best friend’s words. She was so proud of the person in front of her. But that warm feeling was pushed  away by the guilt building in her stomach by what her husband had done. She closed the distance between herself and Maya, trapping her between her arms, both because she loved her friend but also because she didn’t want her to see her guilt ridden face.

“You have nothing to thank for, Maya.” Andy hugged Maya for a long time. As she pulled away, she pressed her lips on the side of her head. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” And she was out of the room before the blonde could say anything else.

Maya became a nervous wreak as soon as she was left alone but it was the good kind of nerves, the kind where you can’t wait any longer for what’s about to happen, not the kind where you wish everything to be over already. The blonde was pacing around the room when she heard her phone ding. She went to check it out, knowing she wouldn’t have time to even look at the hour later on, and chuckled when she saw a text from her soon to be wife.

Carina – Breathe, bambina

The Italian knew Maya so well, she figured the firefighter would be wearing a hole on the floor because of the nervous pacing, or maybe she could hear the clicking of her heels all the way to her own ‘room’.

Maya – Funny you say that since you’re the one always taking my breath away

Yes, that was corny but she was getting married, she was allowed to be corny.

Carina – Siete pronti?

Maya – To spend the rest of my life with you?

Maya – Hell yes

The blonde could picture Carina grinning at that last text, gently nibbling at her bottom lip, trying to come up with a comeback.

Carina – I was actually talking about our wedding night

Carina – Are you ready for that?

Maya felt a rush of heat pooling in her lower belly. It didn’t matter that she had been between the sheets with Carina just a few hours ago, just the thought of it made her feel things.

Maya – Bring it on

She knew she’d be in troubles for challenging the brunette that way but she secretly, or not so secretly, loved it.

There was no reply after that and it took her a moment to find out why. The time had finally come.

She left her phone inside her jacket and took a deep breath as she smoothed down the imaginary wrinkles of her dress and the non existent out of place hairs on her head. She grabbed the bouquet of beautiful white flowers and opened the door as she heard the clinking sound of someone gently hitting a glass with a piece of cutlery.

Maya stepped out into the hallway and saw Ben waiting for her a few meters away. The man smiled at the sight of his captain, offering his left arm for the blonde to take when the first chord of the ukelele was heard.

Maya’s face split into a blinding smile when she was finally able to see her bride on the other side of her subordinate, wearing an incredibly stunning white jumpsuit that let her admire the brunette’s clavicles in all their glory.

“Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go…” Vic started to sing as both women hooked their arms on Ben’s.

Maya had to tore her eyes away from Carina as they started walking down the makeshift aisle flanked with rose petals. All their friends are there, smiling and some even recording the couple like Bailey and Amelia.

“You have made my life complete… and I love you so…”

The blonde looked to the other side of the room and finally spotted her mother in the back, eyes kind and clearly smiling under her blue mask. That morning, when she told Carina she didn’t want to reach out to her family she was lying, both to herself and to the doctor because she didn’t want to feel the disappointment it would bring to tell them and then they deciding to not show up. The reality was that seeing her mom there, made Maya’s heart jump inside her chest with joy.

“Love me tender, love me true…”

In that moment, Andy walked up to the couple as they, and Ben, made it to the end of the aisle, taking Carina’s red bouquet first and  Maya’s white one just a second later.

“All my dreams fulfilled…”

Maya raised her hands as if to push a lock of hair behind her ears and then she lowered them, reaching out for Carina as she nervously let out a short breath through her lips.

“For my darling I love you, and I always will.”

Maya couldn’t help but mouth that last line, gazing into chocolate eyes as she did, making sure Carina knew she meant those words.

As soon as the last note faded in the air, everyone started clapping, Maya and Carina letting go of each other’s hands so they could do the same.

“Now, I understand you wrote your own vows.” Ben said as he opened the small book between his hands.

Maya’s gleeful expression twisted at those words, her smile fading and her eyes opening wide. “Oh my God!” She said as she turned to look at the man.

Carina’s eyebrows rose at the firefighter’s reaction. “What?”

“I… f-forgot we were writing our own vows, oh my god.” Maya admitted, making the doctor chuckle. “I got so excited about it.” She continued, clear mortification on her features. “I’m so sorry.” She started to look around as if she was going to find a solution if she looked hard enough.

“No, no, no, no, no, hey…” The brunette started to speak but Maya cut her off, still apologizing.

“I’m… I can’t, I’m so…”

Ben, in the background, was laughing at his captain under his breath.

“Hey, bambina, it’s, it’s perfect, it’s okay, it’s okay. Listen to yourself. ‘Queen of the clipboard’ Maya Bishop was so excited about something that she forgot, I love that.” Carina reassured the blonde, squeezing her hands as she shifted excitedly on her spot.

The blonde let out a shaky sigh and looked down at their joined hands. She lifted her chin again and stared into the Italian’s eyes.

“Wait, I can do it.” She said with confidence.

“Maya, there’s no need…” The OB assured the other woman, not wanting to pressure her or making her feel bad for forgetting about it.

“There is need, I can do it, please.” The firefighter insisted, giving the brunette’s hands a squeeze.

Carina returned the gesture and nodded at Maya as the corners of her lips turned up. “Okay.”

The blonde mimicked that smile and took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts, remaining in silence for a few moments before everyone’s waiting gaze.

“It’s hard to put into words how I feel about you. Literally hard, I’m struggling right now.” Everyone laughed at that but Maya only cared about Carina’s laughter. “But I don’t think there are words in any language that can even begin to describe the things you make me feel.”

The doctor beamed at her firefighter.

The blonde swallowed as she thought about how to continue. “As a little girl, I never gave marriage much thought. I just assumed it would eventually happen because it was the normal thing people do. Then, I grew up. I became a firefighter. And I stopped thinking about the future.” Maya rubbed Carina’s knuckles when her smile fell a little at her words.

“Thinking about tomorrow it’s a little naive in my line of work. Some of us answer a call and they never come back. But now… I don’t want to think about just today. I want every tomorrow with you, I wanna build our future together. I promise you, Carina, I will always come back home to you. I will always fight to make it back.” Maya felt the brunette tightening her grip on her hands.

“And for every tear you shed because you’re scared that I won’t come back, I promise I will make you smile a hundred times.” The blonde took a moment to admire the woman before her, to take in all of her beauty even as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I love you. And I choose you. Forever.”

A whimper coming from behind Carina made Maya look away from the brunette and Carina to turn around to look at what or who had caused it.

“Sorry, sorry, keep going.” Katherine apologized, trying to keep her cries at bay.

Maya smiled at her mom, feeling something warm inside her by her mother’s reaction. She was clearly excited to see her daughter getting married and the younger blonde couldn’t be happier to have her there.

The doctor brushed the back of her index against her cheek to remove a tear that had escaped before turning around to face Maya again.

“I’ve experienced many types of love in my life. A mother’s love, fraternal love, my first love, unrequited love. But I never thought I would find true love and I certainly was not expecting to find it in a bar.” Everyone chuckled, including Maya. “I won’t say it was love at first sight, I’m not that innocent. Getting to know and love you takes time. You are someone who has many walls around herself and knocking them down takes time and patience but it’s totally worth it.” Carina let go of one of Maya’s hands to gently wipe away a tear rolling down the blonde’s face.

“I’m glad to be one of the few people that get to see the real you, the one hidden beneath your tough exterior.  I’m so lucky to be the person who sees you laugh until you cry or pout because you still can’t make an espresso.” The firefighter snorted at that, looking away for a second a little embarrassed before returning her eyes to Carina.

“I want to be a safe place for you to be yourself without judgement, without fear, in the good days and specially in the bad days.” The doctor tilted her head slightly so her eyes were at the same level as Maya’s. “E voglio svegliarmi con il tuo sorriso ogni giorno e andare a dormire con i tuoi baci ogni notte.” She chuckled when the blonde’s nose crinkled slightly at those words since she didn’t understand most, if not all, of them. “Our forever starts today and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.”

The couple gazed into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity but in reality was less than a minute.

Ben was the one to break the silence to continue the ceremony.

“Maya Bishop, do you take –”

“I do.” The blonde interrupted.

“Me too.” Carina answered, beaming.

All their guests laughed at their eagerness to be married already.

“May I have the rings, please?” Ben said, hoping the brides didn’t want to skip that part too.

Amelia stopped recording on her phone and left it on the table as she pulled out a red velvet rectangular box from her purse. She walked up to the couple and gave her fellow doctor the box, grinning the whole time she did.

The man tucked his small book between his arm and body to grab the box with both hands as he opened the lid, revealing a pair of yellow gold bands.

“Wear these rings as a reminder of the vows you have just taken.” Ben recited.

Carina went first, taking the ring closest to her and holding it between her middle finger and thumb. She grabbed Maya’s left hand and placed the band on the tip of her finger before starting to speak.

“Come un anello non ha fine, nemmeno il mio amore per te.” The brunette said, sliding the ring on Maya’s finger.

The smile on the blonde’s face as she heard those words was so wide her cheeks were starting to hurt.

Then it was her turn to give Carina her ring. She grabbed the remaining ring from the box, which Ben closed right after, and admired the simple, yet beautiy, piece of gold. On the outside, it looked just like any other ring but the inscription on the inside made it unique.

‘Love has no limits’

The firefighter took a breath and then looked up at the brunette, the corners of her lips immediately quirking up and her eyes sparkling with love. She took Carina’s hand in hers and placed the ring at the tip of her finger like the doctor has done a few moments ago.

“With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours.” Maya pushed the ring all the way down Carina’s finger, caressing her knuckles.

The brunette stared at their joined hands, her eyes gleamed, displaying all her emotions.

“I now pronounce you wife and wife.” Ben finally said the most expected line.

The couple didn’t even wait for the other firefighter to say ‘you can kiss the bride’, they just cupped each other’s faces and joined their lips like they were aching to do since seeing the other in her wedding outfit for the first time.

Everyone started clapping and cheering but it was like they couldn’t hear them, they were only focused on each other.

When Carina and Maya finally pulled away, it was because they were smiling so hard they couldn’t even kiss properly.

“It’s time for the newlyweds’ first dance, right?” Andy said as she connected her phone’s Bluetooth to the speakers, quickly searching for the right song for the occasion.

Carina offered her hand to Maya when the first notes of a piano started playing. The blonde placed her hand over Carina’s right away and let herself be guided to the center of the improvised dance floor.

‘Wise men say only fools rush in…’

The brunette took the lead, taking Maya’s hands and wrapping them around her neck, only to let her own drop to the blonde’s hips as they started swaying from one side to the other, following the rhythm of the tune.

‘but I can’t help falling in love with you…’

“You look so beautiful, Carina…” Maya started as her eyes drifted from chocolate eyes to full, soft looking lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner but… I guess I was too busy trying to not make a fool out of myself.”

The brunette giggled, stroking the blonde’s hips with her thumbs.

“I wasn’t expecting a jumpsuit, though.” The firefighter continued, nibbling her bottom lip as she looked down at her wife’s outfit. “But you’re definetely rocking it.” She lowered one of her hands to caress the doctor’s clavicle.

‘like a river flows surely to the sea…’

“Thank you.” Carina quietly said. “I absolutely adore this dress on you. You look perfect.”

‘darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be…’

The blonde cocked her head to the side. “You like it?” She asked and the brunette hummed in confirmation. “Were you expecting me to wear a dress or would you have preferred a suit?”

“Bambina, I know you can pull off a suit. I do have a thing for your uniform.” Carina added with a smirk, making Maya chew on her lip again. “But this dress… you look so good in it that I almost don’t want to take it off you.”

The blonde laughed in that way that makes her nose crinkle, her eyes narrow and her teeth show before leaning into Carina and press her lips over hers. “Are you sure about that?”

The doctor pressed their lips together again. “I said ‘almost’.” She clarified against her mouth.

‘take my hand, take my whole life, too…’

“I love you. I love you so much, Carina.” The firefighter said, closing her eyes, feeling the weight of the OB’s forehead pressed against her own, tangling her fingers in the brown locks of hair as she clinged to the back of the other woman’s neck.

‘for I can’t help falling in love with you…’

“I love you, too, Maya. More than you realize.” Carina replied, letting go of Maya’s hips to wrap her arms around her, grabbing her right wrist with her left hand to bring the blonde closer to her body.

Everybody started clapping once the song ended, the couple reluctantly pulling away from each other to look at their friends’ smiling faces.

Travis snuck to the back and grabbed Mrs. Bishop from the shoulders, gently pushing her to the front. “I believe it’s time for a little mother-daughter dance.” He cheerfully said. He knew what it was like when your parents didn’t show up to your wedding and he wanted Maya to enjoy what he missed when he married Michael.

The older blonde was definetely surprised but let herself be pushed towards her daughter, not even caring about the way she was dressed.

She stood before the couple and extended a hand to Maya but her eyes were on the brunette. “May I?” She asked.

Carina pressed her hands together as if pleading and nodded once, taking a step away. “Of course.”

Maya smiled at her wife before her eyes shifted to look at her mother, taking her hand as a new song started.

Maya was naturally taller than her mom by a centimeter or two but adding the advantage her high heels have her, made the height difference more noticeable. She took the lead, placing her hands on Katherine’s waist and letting the older woman rest hers over her shoulders.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” Maya confessed, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

The older woman smiled behind her mask which was evident on her eyes. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

The firefighter stared at her mom for a few moments, her smile faltering a little. “Are you okay?” She asked, a little afraid of the answer.

The older blonde looked away for a second before returning her eyes to her daughter. “I’m managing. But I don’t want to talk about that today. Today is a happy day, it shouldn’t be tainted by bad things.

“What I told you earlier stands. I want to help you, you’re welcome to my home whenever you want.” The captain insisted.

Katherine sighed. “I know, baby.” One of her hands went from Maya’s shoulder to her cheek. “Thank you.”

The younger blonde leaned into her mother’s touch as they kept dancing.

Carina watched as both blondes took a few steps away from her and started dancing. She was so happy for Maya, she knew having her mother there meant a lot to her but it only reminded the brunette that she had no blood family there with her. Her mother was dead, her dear brother was dead too, and even if her father was very much alive, she doubted he would have come even if there wasn’t a pandemic.

She was about to step out of the dance floor to speak with Amelia when she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around to find Ben with a hand extended in her direction.

“Can I have this dance?” The man said with that charming smile of his.

Carina looked at him with tenderness, grateful he stepped in. “It would be my pleasure.”

Ben placed his right hand on Carina’s waist as his left held the brunette’s right, leaving the OB to rest her free hand on the firefighter’s shoulder as they started dancing.

“I know I’m not the first one to say this and I won’t be the last but… congratulations, Carina.” The man said.

The Italian smiled at him. “Thank you… dad.” She added with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Ben snorted and looked around. “Who put you up to that? Was it Vic?” He accused with a raised brow.

Carina smirked while she nodded. “It was her, I’m sorry.”

The man shrugged. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t bother me that they see me that way. That’s my role in the station 19 family, the cool dad.” There was some pride in his words. He liked that his friends though that highly of him.

“You guys are a great family.” Carina commented, looking around at her wife’s friends chatting as the brides danced.

“And you’re part of it now.” The former anesthesiologist said, making sure to be looking at Carina in the eyes so she could believe him. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now –” the Italian had to repress an eye roll at those words, remembering what Amelia had said earlier. She truly had lost count of the number of times someone had said that to her. “– but I bet you’re thinking about Andrew. He was your family.” Ben sighed. “I know it may not feel like the same but we’re your family now.”

The OB played with the laple of Ben’s jacket, trying to distract herself a little so she wouldn’t cry. “Growing up, I never thought about my wedding. I saw my parents fight all the time since an early age and I decided marriage wasn’t for me so… I never pictured this day, me, walking down the aisle by my papà’s arm or Andrea’s in a big white dress in a church.” She wetted her lips and felt a salty taste in them. She was crying. “But now that I’m here, even if it’s completely different than anything I could have imagined, he not being here was not something I ever considered would happen.”

Carina took a moment to breath in deeply.

“And as the date approached, I thought I would feel alone. I  thought that, at some point, I would feel the same emptiness I felt when I found out he was gone but…” She gave Ben a small smile with watery eyes. “I don’t. I feel so loved by everyone here. And I feel Andrea too because he was happy I found someone that makes me as happy as Maya does so I know he would have been thrilled for us.”

A corner of Ben’s mouth lifted. “He would have. And… as long as you and me and everyone else remembers him, he’s not truly gone. No one ever is.”

Another tear rolled down Carina’s cheek when her smile widened by Ben’s words. She couldn’t say anything else because the song ended and everyone started clapping again.

“Okay, okay, enough slow dancing, mama needs to shake this body!” Vic said as she quickly changed the slow playlist to something with more spice, everyone cheering when the music started playing.

The whole team started to dance, they formed a circle and everyone was taking turns in the middle, some showing serious dancing skills and others just making fools of themselves, but everyone cheered all the same. The music went from salsas and cumbias, to everyone’s favorite early 2000 tunes which made them sing along as they danced and laughed.

Maya stepped out of the dancing circle, pulling Carina by the hand with her. She needed to catch her breath a little. The brunette took advantage of the fact they were now a little away from the group and leaned for a kiss, only for her lips to land on the blonde’s cheek when she turned her face slightly.

“What is it?” The doctor muttered, her lips still brushing Maya’s skin.

“My mom…” The firefighter simply said.

Carina pulled back a little and turned her head to the direction Maya was looking at. Katherine Bishop was sitting by herself in the most isolated table.

The captain looked at her wife again. “Do you mind if we…?” She trailed off, nodding her head towards her mother.

The brunette leaned down again, this time giving a peck on Maya’s lips successfully. “Andiamo, bella.”

They walked hand in hand towards the older blonde. When they got close enough, Katherine lifted her gaze and smiled at the couple even if it was not visible.

“Hi, girls.” The older woman said, standing up.

The firefighter let go of Carina’s hand to take both of her mom’s. “I’m sorry I left you here alone.” She said apologetically.

Katherine squeezed her daughter’s hands. “It’s your wedding day, baby, you’re supposed to have fun.”

Maya smiled sweetly at her mom. After a moment of silence, she gave Carina a side glace as she stood a few steps away. She reached out to her and the brunette quickly moved closer and took Maya’s hand. “I know you two have already met but…” She lowered her gaze, a little ashamed. “That day at the station wasn’t one of my finest moments. I’m sorry.”

Katherine covered Maya’s hand with both of her own. “Don’t worry about that.”

The firefighter’s lips pressed into a tight smile but she was happy to drop that subject at the moment. “Well, then let me introduce you to Carina DeLuca, my wife and…” She turned to look at the brunette’s eyes. “The love of my life.”

The doctor beamed at those words and held out her right hand. “It’s a pleasure.”

Katherine let go of Maya’s hand and shook Carina’s with both of hers, the same way she was holding her daughter’s hands a few second ago. “The pleasure is mine, dear. Thank you for making my daughter so happy.”

Even when it seemed imposible, Carina’s smile widened. “She makes me just as happy.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Vic’s mother approached the trio from behind, placing a hand on the small of the firefighter’s back to get her attention. “Are you girls ready for the cake cutting?” Lenya asked.

Maya and Carina nodded and pulled Katherine with them towards the table where the cake waited for them.

The couple let go of the older blonde’s hand and rounded the table so they could cut the cake while facing all their guests. Vic’s mom gave Carina a knife as Maya positioned herself partially behind the brunette so they could both grab the knife with their right hands, not losing the opportunity to also feel the doctor’s body pressed on her front.

They waited a moment for their friends to pull out their phones and start recording he moment.

“Are you ready?” Carina asked, turning her head to the side so she could see her wife.

The firefighter stole a quick kiss from Carina before answering. “Ready.”

The knive sank into the cake and everyone who wasn’t filming started to clap. Carina, free to use both hands, scooped some of the filling of the slice  they just cut –the cake was covered in fondant so there was no frosting–, turned around and smeared it on Maya’s cheek.

The captain gasped in shock as everyone around them laughed. “You did not just do that.”

The brunette backed away, expecting some retaliation, as she laughed out loud. “So what if I did?” She said with false bravado as she lifted her hands near her face in case Maya decided to throw some cake at her.

But everyone knew Carina was Maya’s weak spot.

The blonde simply grabbed a napkin, cleaned her cheek and grinned at the doctor. “You’re gonna pay for that but right now I just want to kiss you.”

If they were in a cartoon, that would have been the moment when everyone said a collective ‘aaaawwwwww’.

But Carina did feel like something inside her melted by the firefighter’s words so she decided to close the gap between them and give her wife what she wanted.

After the couple pulled away, Lenya made everyone return to their seats so she could cut cake for them.

Katherine said her goodbyes then, saying it was getting late and she didn’t have a car even when Maya insisted in her staying at their place. She didn’t want to ruin her daughter’s wedding night.

Not long after serving the cake, Amelia stole Carina away to dance with the others while Maya stayed in her table, giving her feet some rest since she was not used to be in heels for that many hours unlike Carina who wore them every day.

The blonde was sipping a bit of champagne, looking at the brunette doctors having fun on the dance floor, when Bailey sat down next to her.

“Congratulations, Bishop.” The chief clinked her glass against Maya’s.

“Thank you, Bailey.” The captain replied, her eyes only leaving Carina for a moment.

The doctor followed Maya’s gaze and smirked when she saw how enthralled she was by her new wife. “You really are head over heels for her, aren’t you?”

The blonde chuckled. “That, I am.”

“Then, why do I sense some worry coming from you? We all can see she feels the same way.” Miranda said, perceptive as always.

Maya finally looked away from the dancing pair and turned to the doctor on her table. “That’s not what worries me.” She decided there was no point in lying. Actually, Miranda was the right person to voice her concerns to. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill my promise someday.”

Bailey opened her eyes wide in realization. “You’re afraid to die on the job.” She wasn’t someone who beat around the bush.

Maya sighed and nodded after a few seconds. “It happens all the time. I’ve had very close calls where I thought I wouldn’t make it.” She lowered her gaze for a moment, swirling the contents of her glass.

“When Carina and I started to get to know each other, she asked me about my job and I told her it was unlikely for me to get injured because, as captain, I no longer go inside the fires but… That’s not completely true. If there’s a big fire where the command of the scene falls on someone else, I can be ordered to go in. So, even if it’s small, there is a chance I won’t make it back someday. And I’m scared of what that could do to her.”

Bailey placed her hand on top of Maya’s and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not gonna lie to you and say it’s easy being married to a firefighter. When Ben told me he wanted to do this, I was so mad at him. We didn’t speak for weeks and I actually ended up having a heart attack.”

The blonde’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. “What?”

The doctor nodded. “Yeah. I was so stressed and scared that I had a heart attack in my forties.”

“I don’t want to do that to Carina.”

Miranda lifted a finger to make Maya stop talking. “Ben wanted to quit firefighting after that, for me, for my health, but I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t keep him away from his calling.” She took a sip of her own drink.

“You see, there’s a big difference between me and Ben and you and Carina. When I met Ben Warren, he was a doctor. An anesthesiologist. It was a safe job, good hours, great salary. And then he switched to surgery. I was mad then too. He moved to LA for a year to complete his internship but he came back and we made it work. And then –” she made a big emphasis, “he tells me he wants to become a firefighter. It was a big transition and one he did without consulting me. But Carina knows who you are and what you do from day one. She decided to stay knowing all the information and I know she would never ask you to quit something you love as much as firefighting, cause I know you love it just as every single crazy person in here.”

That made Maya laugh.

“The only thing you can do is fight like hell to make it back each day. And don’t lie to her, don’t try to protect her from the scary parts of the job because that will make her more scared, I’m telling you from experience.”

“Thank you, Miranda.” The blonde said, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

“You’re welcome, Maya.” The older woman said, leaning over to hug the blonde even as they were sitting.

On the other side of the room, Amelia and Carina finally took a seat, almost out of breath and with messy hair. The doctors started laughing out of no where.

“You have some great moves, DeLuca.” The neurosurgeon praised the Italian as she leaned on her chair.

Carina pushed her hair back and licked her lips, she was thirsty. “There was a time when I wanted to be a ballerina and not a doctor.” She mentioned with a smile.

Amelia was about to make a comment when she saw one of the firefighters whose name she didn’t remember coming towards them and standing next to the OB.

“Hey, Dr. DeLuca, could we talk?” The man said.

The neurosurgeon furrowed her brows at the formality but she understood once Carina addressed him.

“Jack… sure, we can talk.” The Italian said, gesturing at the chair next to her for him to sit.

Jack. Amelia knew that name. That was Maya’s ex boyfriend with whom she had cheated on Carina. Her eyes went round but decided to give her friend some privacy.

“You know what? I’m super thirsty, I’m gonna get some water, do you want champagne? I’ll bring you some.” Amelia said in a rush as she stood up and walked away.

Jack stood awkwardly for a second before taking the seat Carina had offered him.

“Dr. DeLuca –”

“Carina. Forget I asked you to call me doctor.” The Italian interjected.

“Carina,” Jack corrected himself. “First I wanted to say I hope that me being here is not making you uncomfortable or anything.” He placed a hand on his chest.

The brunette tilted her head as her expression softened. “Not at all. You’re one of Maya’s friends. I know you care about her, you would literally run into a fire for her, and I’m glad you’re here.”

The blond’s shoulders deflated in relief. “Okay… uh, it’s just… I never apologized to you for what I did. I knew Maya was in a relationship with you and I didn’t stop her.” He looked down at his hands, ashamed. “If she wanted to do what we did with someone else, it would’ve been on her but I didn’t stop her so it was my fault too. I’m sorry.”

The doctor placed her hands over Jack’s, making him look up at her eyes. “I forgive you, Jack.” She squeezed his hands. “It’s taken me some time but I can tell you’re a good person who sometimes takes shitty choices, kind of like Maya.” They both laughed at that.

“I want to believe you weren’t thinking about hurting me, Maya was the one who did the hurting but I’ve forgiven her because I love her. And I forgive you because she loves you. As a friend, of course.” She clarified, making the firefighter laugh again. “You two have been friends for years and I won’t ask her to stop being your friend just because I’m jealous. Just promise me you won’t do it again.”

The man shook his head repeatedly. “No, of course not, I would never sleep with Maya again.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Carina moved one of her hands to cup Jack’s neck. “I know Maya won’t cheat on my again. But I want you to promise me you will never sleep with someone who already has a partner. Don’t make another person feel like I did when I found out. You are a handsome man, you’re fun, you have a good heart. There are thousands of single women who would kill for someone like you.”

The blond looked away and scratched his cheek with his index. “I’m… I’m with Inara already, so…”

Carina’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh! That’s great then… yeah.” She quickly said, releasing her hold on the man’s neck and leaning back on her chair. She didn’t know what else to say. She had been getting weird vibes from that pair but didn’t think it was a good idea to ask.

Jack cleared his throat and decided it was time to go. “Well… I just want to say thank you for forgiving me and congratulations.” And with that, he stood up and walked away from the Italian.

Carina sighed. Well, at least that was out of the way. She got up and walked to the table Maya was in, pulling her up to dance some more.

After many songs and an kiss that took Carina completely off guard, almost making the couple fall, they decided to sit down again and enjoy some champagne together.

“Okay, I have to be honest. I think part of me didn’t want to get married because I was afraid of the wedding drama. I mean, my family? Not a great track record.” Carina said, gesticulating with the hand that wasn’t holding Maya’s. “At my parents’ wedding, my aunt Stella, she had a heart attack.”

The blonde’s eyes went round but Carina continued speaking.

“And, and, at my cousin wedding, my mom stabbed my dad in his hand.” She said, letting go of the firefighter’s hand to mimick being stabbed.

The blonde laughed in disbelief as Carina rolled her fingers next to her temples, like when you say someone is crazy.

“I know, y-yeah. It’s kind of concerning that we have no drama to speak of.”

“Well, I think we front loaded all of our drama pre wedding.” Maya replied as she started to lean into the brunette. “Yeah.”

“Yeah.” Carina repeated, dragging out the vocal in a sign that she was clearly tipsy, as she gave into the kiss.

“Hey, newlyweds.” Emmett interrupted as he approached their table. “Congratulations.” He sat down in front of the couple.

“Thank you.” They said at the same time.

“Are you having fun?” The young man said before taking a swig of his drink.

“We are.” Maya answered while Carina nodded in agreement, reaching for her glass too. “It’s really nice being all together like this, specially after everything that’s happening.”

“You are absolutely right. I haven’t had any fun since the pandemic started. Hey,  what were you girls talking about before I crashed here? I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” Emmett said.

The brunette shook her head. “Not at all, I was just telling Maya some of the wedding disasters I’ve witnessed. Oh!” She suddenly said turning to Maya as she remembered something. “I haven’t even told you about Jo’s wedding!”

The captain’s brow puckered. “Jo as in your new resident?”

The OB nodded. “Yes, she got married last year and her wedding was so crazy from the beginning.” She turned to look at Emmett as she spoke as to not be rude. “First of all, we all got the location wrong. The GPS sent most of the guests to the wrong wedding. Then, when we finally arrived to the correct venue, the the minister had gotten lost too so the wedding couldn’t begin.” She turned to Maya then. “Later, the wedding planner had an allergic reaction to the shrimp in the canapes and they had to trach her in front of all the guests.”

“Wait, really?” Emmett asked, shocked.

The doctor nodded almost frenetically. “Yes, it was crazy! Then, some intern dropped the cake all over himself and the strawberry on top of the pie –”

“The cherry on top of the cake.” Maya quickly corrected Carina who nodded at her in acknowledgement but kept talking.

“– was that Jo and Alex were trapped inside a weird place that had a corpse inside.”

“Okay, you’re making that up.” Maya shook her head as her face twisted. There was no way all of that happened.

“I swear everything I just said it’s true! You can ask Amelia, although the part about the corpse…” Carina’s energy dipped as she said those last words, remembering who had told her about that.

The blonde closed her hand tighter around the doctor’s. “What is it?”

The Italian smiled. She didn’t want to turn that really fun story in something sad by mentioning her brother. “It all happened. So you can’t really blame me for being scared of weddings.”

Both Maya and Emmett laughed. It was understandable, really.

“Wait, but did they get married or not?” The man was intrigued.

Carina nodded. “They did. We ended up in a ferry on the way to Dr. Avery’s place because the rental time of the venue was almost over so, Meredith got ordained and she officiated the ceremony at the ferry.” She said with a soft smile at the memory of her brother and herself that day. “Although, they got divorced recently.”

“Oh, God, so all that drama for nothing?” Maya’s eyebrows snapped together.

All three of them started laughing.

Emmett took a deep breath, trying to stop his laughter. “It’s kinda hard to believe in true love after hearing that story.”

Carina lifted a finger and shook it several times. “No, no, no, no, no, don’t be like me, don’t let the bad stories outshine the good ones. True love exists, it’s out there.” She turned to the blonde, who did the same. “You just have to find it and don’t let go once you do.”

Maya couldn’t stop herself, she moved closer and captured the Italian’s lips with her own, giving her a long, passionate kiss not minding that Emmett was still there.

The blonde turned to the man once the kiss ended. “I’m gonna be honest here, Emmett. I don’t really know what happened between you and Travis but if you think that what you and he had was good, that it was love, don’t give up.”

“Well, Travis dumped me, it’s not like it was my choice.” He said, staring into his glass.

“And I pushed Carina away too. We sometimes do stupid things because we don’t think we deserve happiness. We can’t believe that this wonderful person loves us so we push them away before they leave.” Maya explained. “If you love him, tell him.”

The former firefighter remained in silence for a few moments, thinking about what the blonde has just said. He sighed and later stood up. “Thank you, Maya.” He smiled at her. “But, if you two excuse me, I need to go to the restroom.” And with that, he left.

Maya then turned to Carina, who hadn’t taken her eyes away from the blonde as she spoke to Emmett. “That reminds me that I have to go to the restroom too. I’ve had too much champagne.”

The Italian arched a brow and smirked. “Do you need help with your dress?” She asked with clear double intentions.

The firefighter returned the smirk. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She leaned into the brunette but pulled away at the last second, just when their lips were about to meet. “But if I let you help me, I’m not sure we’ll ever come out of that bathroom.” She stood up and left after that, under her wife’s wanting gaze.

Carina observed Maya and Andy –who the blonde had asked to help her with her dress– disappear into the hallway leading to the bathrooms. She threw her head back as she laughed. She would accept that ‘defeat’ for the moment. After all, they still had their wedding night to look forward.

Or so she thought.