Chapter Text
Maggie watched the last late guests enter the church, while waiting for Alex's car to arrive. If all had gone according to the plan, the two of them would have already been walking down the aisle, but life managed to get in the way as always. There had been an incident involving Luke who somehow found his mother's dress and decided it was a good idea to redecorate it with crayolas. If it weren't her best friend's wedding, Maggie would have definitely laughed with tears because the expensive dress ended up looking ridiculously funny. She realised she needed to come up with a quick solution. In the end she did and following the bride's request, the chief bridesmaid (she was the only bridesmaid but Maggie loved to be called that) went to the church to make sure everything was alright.
She had always been a fan of weddings and of organizing things, so the bridesmaid position fit her like a glove. Alex and Charlie had hired a wedding planner, but still, Maggie was the one who managed to find the perfect flowers and the dreamy dress. If she were to be honest with herself, there was only a small inconvenience that bothered her. She didn't have a date. Charlie suggested she went with one of his bachelor friends, but it was the last thing Maggie wanted. At some point, she ended up calling Dey. He was thrilled that Maggie asked him to join her, but he had to decline. There was a Psychiatry convention in London he was supposed to attend that weekend. Therefore, Maggie had to let it go and accept the fact that she'd be the lonely bridesmaid every one secretly pitied.
Ten minutes had passed since everyone got inside the church and there was no sight of Alex. She considered calling her, but she realized it would only stress the bride even more. Her feet had started to hurt in those high heels terribly and she wished her make-up wouldn't betray her, as it was getting hotter and hotter outside. She couldn't be more thankful that in all the running around, she managed to keep her white and blue floral dress in perfect condition. Still, Maggie wanted nothing more but to change in her less tight dress and flats for the reception.
Just as she was preparing to call Dana and see if they were on their way, Maggie heard the sound of a car approaching. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was all going to turn out alright. However, it wasn't her lucky day. It was just a taxi. Another late guest perhaps. How rude, Maggie thought. She waited impatiently for the passenger door to open so she could see who dared to be that late at her best friend's wedding. Technically the bride was late as well, but that was another story.
When a familiar face got out of the car, she swore her heart had stopped for a few seconds. Maggie simply stared at her disbelievingly. Sydney was looking at her too now, with a less surprised face. Maggie thought she looked wonderful in her black lace dress, and even though her shoulders and knees were covered, it still managed to make her look incredibly hot. Suddenly, the air became even more suffocating. Or maybe she was simply hallucinating as she hadn't eaten a thing all day.
"You look beautiful Maggie," Sydney greeted her and attempted to offer a hug. Maggie put her arms around her and realized how much she'd missed that. And that smell of lavender and vanilla that couldn't be replaced.
Maggie didn't want to let go and held her close for more than was appropriate considering everything that happened between them. "Thank you. But for the record, your dress puts mine to shame."
Sydney chuckled and took a deep breath. The storm was coming. "I'm probably the last person you expected to see here. Alex invited me. By the way, is something wrong? Where is she?" she quickly changed the subject.
"Probably on her way. We had a problem, which I fixed, but it still delayed the rest of the preparations."
Sydney nodded understandingly. "She's lucky she's got you as her bridesmaid."
Maggie appreciated the comment but she knew the small talk was very out of character for both of them. "Syd, I don't like doing this, but it's been months since you moved to Israel. I know we've said our goodbyes, but you could have at least let me know you landed safely."
"You didn't ask."
"Really?!" Maggie asked rhetorically. Wasn't Sydney supposed to at least apologize for pushing her away?
Sydney looked down. She was aware she had made a mistake."You're right. I'm sorry. I was trying to move on, start a new life...and I forgot about the one person who was there when no one else would."
Maggie sighed. She couldn't blame Sydney. It wasn't like what they had was meant to lead anywhere anyway. They could have at least been friends though. "You know I'm always going to be there for you. But I suppose everything changes when you've found the one, right?" Maggie attempted to sound honest, happy even, but her words ended up filled with bitterness.
The tone of her voice didn't go unnoticed by Sydney. "I understand why you feel like that, but Maggie, we agreed we'd try to move on. It was true; you were still someone I used to think about all the time. And even in Tel Aviv I wondered if I'd taken the right decision. I soon realized I hadn't."
Maggie was confused. "What do you mean?"
Sydney exhaled loudly and waited a few seconds before responding. "Ilana and I broke up a month after I moved in with her."
"I'm sorry."
"Maggie, you're not. And that's alright," Sydney assured her.
Maggie took hold of her hand. "Despite everything, I'm really happy that you're here."
Sydney finally smiled and her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Maggie always had that emotional impact on her. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be."
They remained in silence for a good amount of time and when Maggie decided to close the distance between them for another hug, they got interrupted. Alex's car had just arrived and she was rushing to get to Maggie, while Dana, her daughter and Luke were closely following. Sydney raised her hand to greet them and kissed Maggie on the cheek before entering the church.
"So I did a good thing by inviting her, right?" Alex winked at Maggie as they were preparing to walk the aisle.
Maggie grinned and placed the veil over her face. "I guess we'll see."