Leaping for Your Dreams

7:30 am on the morning of my best friend’s wedding, I had already been up 15 minutes trying to get my daughter up and running. She was trying to resist me but she was about to fail. “Sunshine, if you don’t get moving you’re going to miss Aunt Aleks and Uncle Sid’s wedding. Do you want them sad because you aren’t there?”

She sat straight up in bed with a look of horror on her face. “I can’t miss it!” She quickly scrambled out of bed and ran for the bathroom. I chuckled and turned back to the room Geno and I were in.

“Annushka up and running I hear.” He said, mildly chuckling, as I came in. “What she going to wear today to church?”

I sighed and looked through my closet. What she was going to wear wasn’t the issue. What I was, _that_ was the issue. “I’m gonna let her wear her dress for the wedding with a white button up sweater. Just brushing her hair out for Liturgy and then braiding it after. It’ll be easier than fighting her into anything else.” I found a cute flutter sleeve blouse I had forgotten I had, that would be good and comfy. I added the nicest yoga pants I had and a pair of orangey red wedges sandal.

Geno put on a charcoal suit with a white dress shirt. “No tie until after. Help keep Anya clean too.” He picked out a nice blue tie and put it in his jacket pocket.

Speaking of Anna, she came in and had her dress with her. “Can I please Mama?”

“Before we say yes, can you keep it clean until _after_ the wedding? You will have to wear your white sweater with it for church too.” She was nodding her head as if she were a bobblehead. “Ok then, yes.” She broke out in a grin and ran back the room she was in. We both just chuckled. “I told you she’d ask.”

We went through getting ready and making sure we had everything for the wedding after. At 8:45 the doorbell rang, it was Sergei, Ksenia, Natalie and Victoria. They had come up a couple days before and we’d agreed to take them to church today with us so they didn’t get lost.

Mom was in rare form with all three girls in their dresses. That made me think she needed more grandchildren, which made me sad. Shaking my head I checked that we were as ready as we could be and then we divided up who was going to be driving with whom.

That settled we loaded up and began heading to St. Michael’s. We pulled into the lot shortly after Mal and her family. I knew that Sid wouldn’t be here yet, his mom had made it clear that she wanted a “proper” Mass. Once we were parked and inside I saw that Mal was jittery. I went over and hugged her tightly. “Hold it together Mal, just a few more hours.” She laughed as I spoke into her ear.

“At least Father Martin was happy to do this after Liturgy. I’m not sure I could do this with _everyone_ watching.” I could see her excitement fading into nerves now. “I have to go do my confession and such beforehand.” Aleks excused myself and went into the Church proper.

Katya quickly organized us to bring things into the room we’d be changing in after Liturgy. She even had things that all three girls could manage. Aleks came back after a few minutes and took her dress from Geno to hang it where she wanted it. I didn’t hear what he told her she I did see the grin on her face.

Then the one person I truly disliked from this church showed up, Merridie Szasz. She was a gossip and was always sticking her nose into other people’s business. When we first got back from Vegas she tried telling me that we should have let someone else adopt Anna, which made my daughter angry enough to yell at her.

“Oh I didn’t realize this room was being used.” Then Aleks moved and she caught sight of her. “Aleks? Is it your wedding this afternoon?” Merridie moved into the room as the last tub came in.

I did my best to ignore the woman I loathed and concentrated on making sure I had everything we’d need to make a smooth transition from Liturgy to Wedding.

Once that was done Aleks was still talking to Merridie so I left her to it. I went and grabbed my extended family and we all filed into church. Between the 3 sets of parents none of the girls had a chance to act out. It helped that the service was pretty familiar to them too.

Just over an hour later, at 11:15 we came out of the Divine Liturgy. I felt odd to be in the parish I was raised in again, my life wasn’t here anymore. We had a little of the refreshments and then the flower people showed up. Aleks and I filed out to check that everything was in order.

At the same time her team was coming into the lot. That’s when she recognize Stefan. “Is that who I think it is?” She asked, I just grinned.

“Mal!” He said engulfing her in a hug as he came up. “Here let me check those, I placed the order after all.” He took the sheet and deftly checked over the flowers. It was a small flower order so it didn’t take him long to check it. “Let’s get these inside and out of the heat.” He picked up the whole box and carried it inside.

Once we, and the flowers, were inside I introduced my team. “You know Stefan, we’re calling him Iller or Ferret. This is Moka and his other half Angel. Stace and her other half Kristoph and this is Ferret’s new man Andrew.” I’d been dying to have Aleks meet them all much soon than this but her Cup run was more important and we all knew it.

“It’s great to finally see you all. I can’t thank you enough for all the work you guys put in, it means _so much to me.” They all smiled at her kind words. This was good.

Moka piped up. “Seeing you happy is a great thing for us. Do you know how nerve wracking it is planning a wedding for someone you have never met and only have your boss’s word that she’ll like what you’re planning.

Both Aleks and I laughed. “Do _you_ have any idea how nerve wracking it is to have your BFF planning your wedding with only a few days of input from you?” I laughed. “Not to mention doing it _while you’re playing in the Playoffs. I had to try and trust that Mari, Sid and you guys would make it perfect. Everything I’ve seen and heard, I made the right decision.”

That’s when Sid and his family came into the hall. Moka leaned in. “Do we have to hide you?”

She laughed and shook her head. “We don’t have that as a sign of bad luck, but good looking out.” Then Aleks was hugged from behind by Taylor, which made her laugh even harder. “Hey Tay, how are you?”

“I’m _so_ excited! Should I hide you from Sid?” It was _very clear she was excited.

“No, that’s a Western Catholic superstition, we’re Eastern Catholics here. Many fewer superstitions here.” That’s when Anna came running over.

“Mama Mama! It’s raining when the sun’s out!” She was giggling. Aleks and I looked at each other and raced to get to the door first. She beat me, but not by much. We turned round and round in circles laughing in the rain. This was one of the few superstitions that we did follow, rain on a wedding day meant the couple would be wealthy.

After a few minutes we came laughing back inside. We weren’t soaked by the time we came in but it was a happy thing if you asked me. Sid was just shaking his head at us when we came back in. Aleks gave him a kiss and grinned. “It’s good luck. See you later.”

“Soon but not soon enough.” He said as we passed. God we needed to get these two married, the sparks were _bad_.

As Aleks went to change I pulled out the things we would need at the reception and gave them over to Moka. “Make sure these get in and set up before we get there. It’s the flower packets and such.” He nodded and went to put them in the minivan we’d gotten to transport things.

Stace shooed me to go get ready before I was really ready to, but as it turned out it was a good thing. I had forgotten I was going to braid Anna’s hair after my own. In the next 30 minutes I did 3 sets of hair, Aleks, Anna and myself, not to mention getting dressed in my gown.

At 12:55 Father Martin came in to give us the 5-minute warning. He stopped short when he saw the 5 of us waiting for time to run down. “My God, you are all beautiful.” That made all of us blush and smile.

Aleks replied. “Thank Father. Every woman wants to look her best on her wedding day. I’m not _quite_ finished. I need my veil yet.” As if that was a cue, in came her folks and Grandfather.

“Did someone order a veiling?” Mom said as she went over to Aleks. She had my Grandmother’s veil in her hands. I knew that this was a private moment and took this as a cue to move the rest of us out and into the hall.

As we waited for Aleks to be fully ready I triple checked that I had Sid’s ring. I thought it was great that they would both be wearing rings. A lot of athletes wouldn’t due to having to take it on and off all the time. Of course I knew that Aleks already took hers on and off to keep it safe, which meant that Sid had somewhere already to put his as well that wasn’t around his neck.

As Aleks came up and took her place I heard Sid gasp just a tiny bit and smiled. She’d gotten him for sure. Father Martin then began the Ritual of Betrothal. At the right time both Jack and I held out the rings we had and they were taken and exchanged. Jack had asked last night _why_ he would be changing them three times during this. I explained it as best as I could, it was to symbolize that they were eternally bound.

Then we joined the procession to the Iconostasis and the marriage ceremony began. We all listened and tried not to cry as the questions of assent were asked and answered. I could almost see Aleks vibrating she was so happy.

The Great Ekteny was next, which was a multitude of blessings on their lives and marriage. I looked out and caught a glimpse of Geno wiping a tear away. As he caught me looking he winked and smiled. The Amen hit and it was time for the Binding of Hands. I handed Father Martin the cloth that Aleks’ Grandfather had given me for this occasion. It was a beautifully embroidered piece of cloth.

Then finally their vows hit. We listened as Sidney promise himself and everything he was to Aleks; his voice started out a bit wavering but grew stronger as he went along. Nerves got him too it seemed. In contrast when Aleks began hers, her voice was strong and clear. She’d waited a long time for this and _knew_ it was right for her.

Father Martin then loosed their hands and blessed them. “What God has united, man must not separate.” He returned the binding to me and turned to pick up the crowns. Aleks had chosen simple crowns for them, which reflected a lot about the two of them. “The servant of God, Sidney, is crowned for the handmaid of God, Aleksandra, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” He placed the crown on Sidney’s head then continued. “The handmaid of God, Aleksandra, is crowned for the servant of God, Sidney, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” He then turned them to face him and blessed them thrice with the words. “Lord our God, crown them with glory and honour.”

I was _so_ happy for them, Aleks got the ceremony she wanted after all and Sid, well he didn’t care about the how or where as much as the whom. We all intoned the Prokeimenon and listened to the Epistle, the first of only 2 reading neither of whom were done by family members. After the Alleluia came the Gospel; which was on the Miracle at the Wedding at Cana. Jack and I then discreetly moved a couple chairs so that they could sit through the Homily. Then the rest of us sat in the front pew as the homily began.

Father Martin smiled at the two of them and began. “When I was first contacted to perform this wedding I was skeptical. I hadn’t ever seen them in church together here after all. So I made some calls to the Eparchy of Pittsburgh and found the parish they do attend, as much as they can.” The crowd chuckled. I knew first hand that he’d made those calls, he’d called me first. “I spoke at lengths with Father Schaefer. He told me that the two of them were as regular as their schedules would allow and that Aleks came even when Sidney could not. I then spoke to Aleks’ parents and found out how long these two have been patiently a couple. They also pointed me to the interview they did, which somehow I missed when it came out.” More chuckling from the crowd, it was a well-known interview in our circles. “It was during my watching of that interview that I saw what I was hoping to see, two young people _very_ much in love. I have known Aleksandra since she was a small child and knew that she would not enter into this Holy Mystery without the thought and reverence that it deserves. Having spoken with Sidney’s home parish Priests I found out that he was _very similar in thought to Aleksandra. If ever there were two people meant for each other, they are it.”

He stepped down off the small dais and stood before them. “In my prayers over this marriage one thing came ringing to the forefront. You are meant for each other. In the past week, I have seen that simply by how you move together through the various things you have done this week. There is a give and take in your relationship that I am sure others will be jealous of in the future. You are two halves of a whole and one that is stronger together than apart.” Sid squeezed my hand and I returned the favor. This was going well, I was so happy so far.

Father Martin stepped back up on the dais and continued. “Now I will say that the vows they have taken probably will _not_ be fully in effect when they are on the ice. There other ties bind them, as most of you well know. That does not mean that those vows are severed, merely suspended until a later time. I would hope and pray that the strength that I see in their union today will continue to deepen as their lives entwine even more fully. That they would continue to communicate as effectively as they can and _before_ speaking in anger, that they would step back and think of the other. I also hope that you who are here witness today would be there for them when they might falter and be in need of guidance. You have chosen to number yourselves amongst Aleksandra and Sidney’s extended family. This _is_ an honor and one that I _know_ each and every one of you is worthy of.”

He stepped down again. “I read once in a book by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin a passage that truly taps what marriage is. Here it is: “I once saw this advertisement: "Make sure you're part of a winning team." The way to be part of a winning team in marriage is to bring out the best in your spouse. Remember to keep your focus on your spouse's strengths and not his or her weaknesses. Remember to believe in the potential of your spouse. Believe that your spouse has untapped wisdom and goodness that both of you can reach. Remember to notice positive changes and to express your appreciation. Express appreciation and gratitude for positive words and actions, even if they are not totally what you would have wanted. By giving positive reinforcement to a movement in the right direction, you encourage your spouse to keep moving along the best path for both of you.” Sidney, Aleksandra you _are_ that winning team. Every person in this room can see that. With love, support and honesty you both will go far.”

I felt a squeeze on my arm as Father Martin ended his Homily. Looking over I found my own parents beaming at me. I didn’t have the big church wedding they might have wanted, but the wedding Zhenya and I had was perfect for us. I smiled and returned the squeeze just before I got up.

As I moved to get rid of the chair I saw Sid lean over and give Aleks a kiss on the cheek before they got up. It melted my heart to see them both so happy. The Ekteny of Supplication and the one for Petition were sung, then the Our Father. Things were moving along smoothly.

The Bowing of Heads Prayer was a favorite of Aleks and I caught her sneaking a glance at me and smiling, it was a game we played as we grew up. Then it was time for the Common Cup part of the ceremony. “As Sidney and Aleksandra drink from this one cup. It symbolizes the union that their lives will be, sharing both the joys and sorrows equally.” He explained this as they both took small drinks from the cup.

Next came the Dance, Isiah Procession around the Tetrapod. This was the first steps they would take as husband and wife and was meant to show that they were to work together as their crowns were still tied together. Once they were back in front of the Iconostasis, Father Martin removed their crowns and set them aside.

As Father gave the Nuptial Blessing I sighed quietly, it was almost over and my best friend was married to her true love. “May the Father, the Son † and the Holy Spirit, the all-holy Trinity, One in Being, the Source of life, one Godhead and one Kingship, bless you and give you long life, fine children, success in life and Faith, a great store of the good things of this earth and find you worthy of receiving as well the good things which have been promised. We ask this through the prayers of the holy Theotokos and those of all the saints.” The assembled crowd all said the Amen.

As the Deacon intoned the final blessings I saw them both relax, as if they had been expecting something to happen and were relieved it hadn’t. “To the newly-wedded Sidney and Aleksandra, send, O Lord, true and faithful love, a peaceful, happy and godly life and long-lived descendants, and grant them many years!”

The entire assembly sang the reply. “God, grant them many years, many happy years! (Sung twice) May they be blessed with health and salvation! God, grant them many happy years! Glory to God for all things!”

They then turned to exit the church and Father Martin stopped them before we could leave by softly saying. “You aren’t going to kiss her?” Sid blushed fiercely as those of us standing up there all chuckled. Carefully he tipped the veil back and sweetly kissed Aleks, their first kiss as man and wife. Father Martin then made the pronouncement. “Ladies and Gentlemen may I have the honour of presenting for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Crosby.” Loud whistles and cheers rang through the building, they’d done the impossible gotten married without much pomp and circumstance.

They had gotten back to the room we’d dressed in faster than the rest of us so wouldn’t you know it they were kissing deeply as we all came in. “You know we _do_ have to eat later. Don’t turn our stomachs yet.” Jack said as we all came in. Without missing a beat they both turned.

“You know Jackie when _you_ get married I _really_ hope I’m there. This way I can say the same thing to you.” Aleks said sweetly and with a tinge of malice. I saw Jack flush and just had to smile, she’d do it too and he knew it.

When we were all inside the room we packed what we could and organized us all so we could get it loaded back into the car. Sid and Aleks would be driving back to Pittsburgh tonight so she could be at Development Camp tomorrow. Moka poked his head in to check that we were moving. “I’m about to start loading the buses. Everything on track in here?”

I turned. “We’re set, load them up. We’ll load up this few things and be on our way shortly.” Moka nodded and headed out to make things happen. I then turned to everyone else. “Ok who’s going with whom?”

“I think between your car and mine we can get all of us to the site. Make everyone else ride the buses?” Aleks spoke up. She had a good plan to keep the wedding party together “What do you guys think?”

Reece spoke up. “So we’d ride with you guys over to the reception and not our folks?” The kids all looked at each other and grins appeared on their faces. “Sure let’s go!”

I went out to let my crew know what was going on but found only Moka and Angel still here. “The others went to make sure everything was ready before you got there. We’ll ride over in the busses, no big deal.” I hugged them both; they had both been such a comfort during this whole process.

“You know if this working for the Pens thing doesn’t work out we should go into business for ourselves as special occasion planners.” I said it in a joking manner but I was semi-serious too. We all worked so well with each other to pull this off so quickly.

They brushed it off as they continued directing people to the busses for their ride to the reception in Detroit. I had checked in the past week and found that we could pre-pay the tolls for the busses and other vehicles so we could just go right through without stopping. They made things a lot easier on everyone.

20 minutes later we pulled up in front of The International Banquet and Conference Center in Detroit. We parked so that Sid and Aleks could make their escape and drive home tonight. The rest of us were either staying here in Detroit or in Windsor. We’d even arraigned transportation back to Windsor for those staying there.

We waited until everyone from the busses had gone in to make our entrance. We slowly made our way from the parking lot into the hotel. As we walked into the hotel we were met by Lils and someone who looked like he was her boss, he was beaming and it got even brighter when he saw us walk in. He stepped forward as we came in. “Welcome. Welcome. I am Bryce Hurwitz, the manager of the IBC. I can’t tell you how happy we are that you chose our establishment for this happy occasion.” Lils roll her eyes behind him and mouth I’m sorry.

I saw the annoyance around Aleks’ eyes but heard her speak sweetly and smile. “Hello Mr. Hurwitz. We don’t want to upset you but we _do_ have a reception to get to.”

The rest of the us had gone past us and already entered the reception hall. I made my way over to the DJ to tell him that they were about to come in so he would be ready. With all the professional mannerism he had, he introduces Sid and Aleks to their reception. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome our Bride and Groom.” They came in with broad smiles on our faces. It was time to celebrate!

As Sid and Aleks began circulating, I made a beeline for my family. Anna spotted me first. “Mama you look so pretty!” I picked her up and swung her about a little bit.

“So do you sunshine. Thank you for being so good during church and the wedding.” She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed happily. Geno came up behind me and laid a hand on my waist. I leaned into him a little bit and heard a shutter click, the photographer had caught us like that. “Can we get copies of that?”

He looked at us, grinned and made a note in his notebook. “No problem. It was too good of a shot to pass up.”

Geno snaked a hand around and tickled Anna so I had to put her down. I was annoyed a bit, until he turned me around and looked at me like there wasn’t anyone around us at all. Then he lifted my chin and drew my into a soft kiss full of late night promises.

As we broke apart I heard my mom sigh happily. I looked and saw she was wiping her eyes a little bit. “Is everything ok Mama?” I asked concerned.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me, I’m just happy my girls are happy.” She came over and hugged me. “You are a wonderful mother to a wonderful little girl. Seeing you with Anya makes me sad and happy.” I knew what she meant. I missed Nik too.

I was given the chance to go and make sure the job was perfect soon thereafter. I checked on the cake and all the special little touches we’d ordered for this. Everything was in place and perfect, including the baskets for the donations they’d asked for instead of gifts. Mario’s Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Projects for both the U.S. and Canada were all going to benefit from this evening.

After checking in with my team I was told to take the rest of the night off to enjoy the fruits of my labors. They did this _just_ before the First Dance. “I hope everyone has been having a good time. Now is the time for our favorite couple to have their first dance. This one is pretty special. So if you’ll turn your attention to the dance floor and or the video screen behind Heard Table we’ll begin.” He hit a button and Sid led Aleks onto the dance floor.

Marc-Andre and Vero were standing next to Geno and I when the video and music began; I heard them both gasp. “Something wrong?” I asked.

“Non, t’is is from the concert we went to a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know he did t’is.” Marc-Andre explained. “Maybe our Capitan does have a flair for t’e romantic after all.”

After their first dance was done, it was open for everyone. I bowed out for the first song as I was chatting with Vero about her wedding in two weeks; she wanted to know who I had called about finding the busses. I gladly gave her the company’s name and assured her that they were a Canada-wide company.

Zhenya then insisted on dancing with me. We went out onto the floor as the song changed to ‘Marry Me’ by No Doubt. With me tucked near his heart we slowly danced. “You not jealous are you?”

I picked my head up. “Of them? No, our wedding was perfect for us as this is perfect for them. If there was anything I’d change it wouldn’t be that at all.” He nodded in silence seemingly satisfied.

After our dance we went around and mingled. It was great to see so many guys here and enjoying themselves. Even Jon had dropped his seriousness and was laughing. We spent a few minutes chatting with as many people as we could before we heard the DJ make the announcement. “Ladies and Gentlemen if you would find your seats it looks like dinner is about to begin. Please don’t be shy if you have a song request either. I’m here to please.” Everyone moved to their seats and food came streaming in.

Dinner was delicious. At one point Lils came in and dropped an envelope on the baskets we had set up on her way over to see us. “Everything up to snuff?” Of course she asked just as Aleks had put food in her mouth, timing was everything. “Sorry Mal. It was me come in or my boss and well I thought I’d be a better choice.”

Sid chuckled. “I thought he was going to bust a gut when he saw us come in. You’re _sure_ he didn’t know before we walked in.”

Lils grinned as she nodded. “He was more impressed that Aleks would choose us over who her groom might be. It didn’t hurt that I didn’t tell anyone either. You know if I had told anyone the paparazzi would have been outside for sure.”

Aleks had cleared my mouth and air kissed her across the table. “Thanks Lils.” She nodded and left us alone. “She’s done really well for herself.” Aleks said casually as we ate.

I chuckled. “I’d say most of us have done _really_ well for ourselves. Then again I might be the tiniest bit biased.” I caught Geno’s eye and raised my glass to him, which he reciprocated.

Later Aleks had to excuse herself and find the Ladies Room. I got alarmed when I saw her scurry back into the Room and went to find Pat. Something was wrong. Soon he got up and we went over to Sid.

“On my way to the Ladies room I saw a few photographers outside the hotel, between the entrance and the parking lot.” Sid groaned. “I’m not sure what we can do about it but I don’t really want to be in a paper until we’re ready to be.”

Pat smiled and it seemed he had an idea. “If you can find out who called them, I think I know how I can get you two out of here without a fuss.”

This is when I slid over. “What’s going on?” As I got filled in I held up a finger. “Let _me_ handle this. I made it plain and clear that no one was to call the papers when we signed these contracts. This means that one of them violated said contract as none of my staff would.” I walked out to the lobby on a mission.

“Lils. Can I talk to you?” I asked, my ire rising.

“Let me go first.” She said quickly seeing my anger. “I just caught my boss on the phone with one of the local TV stations trying to get coverage of the two of them leaving. Needless to say I know this violates the contract and I want to minimize the damage if I can.” I could hear that she was as upset as I was.

“We need to report him. You go tell your boss and I’ll call my team of lawyers. We’ll name him specifically so that it’s not the blame of the IBC or you.” She nodded. “We’ll meet back here in a couple minutes and go tell them.

A few minutes later we went back in and found Sid, Aleks and Pat. “Aleks, we know who the leak was. My boss.” Lils was _very_ upset about this. “Apparently he thought that once you were here that part of the contract was void.”

Pat looked grim. Sidney was pissed as well. Aleks was the one who asked the fateful question. “So what do we do from here? He breached the contract and contacted the papers. What’s our recourse?”

I smiled. “I’ve left a message for the lawyers and let them know that this happened. I’m almost positive that they will deal with it tomorrow. As for how we get you out tonight, I hate to say it but it’s gonna be through the back door unless we can drew them off.”

Lils shook her head. “I’ll be damned if I’m gonna have Aleks leave her reception through the back door. I’ll call the cops myself first. Give me a half hour heads up before you want to leave and I’ll do what I can.”

Someone I didn’t know came in and stood at Lils elbow. “Oh Mr. Souza.” She seemed torn.

It was the Head of the Center who profusely apologized for what we had had happen. “Please accept my deepest apologies for what has happened. I have removed Mr. Hurwitz from his position and hope that this will not mar this very special day for you.”

Before he could say more Aleks held up a hand. “Look it’s 6 now and we want to leave at about 8 so we can get back to Pittsburgh before it’s _way_ too late. Just don’t make us go out the back and do your best to not have our pictures taken and I’ll call it even.” He bowed and assured us that he’d make it happen.

We went back with heavier hearts to the reception. We had to trust that Lils and her boss would handle things. Geno saw how upset I was and moved me away from people to try and calm me down.

At 6:30 it was time to cut the cake. I knew Aleks kind of had been dreading this moment, knowing our friends. The cutting went just fine but as we went to feed each other, she ended up with a nose full of icing. The guys of course roared their approval and I thought I saw a few pictures being snapped from people other than our photographer. “T’at was a mistake.” She said in a deadly tone. She grabbed a napkin and blew my nose.

Sid spent the next hour trying to have me get even with him in various ways, none of which worked. He’d get his and when he _least_ expected it. What was the phrase again… oh yes, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Soon enough it was 7:30 pm and time to throw the bouquet and garter. There weren’t too many single girls here so when Vero caught the bouquet we all clapped and laugh, she was the next Penguin bride so it made sense.

Then it was time for the garter. Aleks sat in a chair on the dance floor and Sid ducked under her skirt to a few cheers. He came up with the right garter in his teeth to which she just rolled her eyes. Aleks left the floor and the single guys, of which there were many more, looked as if they were walking to their doom. As they made the semi circle it seemed to the rest of us watching as if they were _trying_ to line Flower up to win, which of course with his reflexes he did. That made us all laugh even harder.

Soon enough it was time for them to leave, we had Lils warned with the half hour she requested. She’d cleared out the photographers and everything and even pulled my car up to the front doors. This meant that we didn’t have to do anything but get in and drive off. The guys had even been kind and _not_ decorated the car.

They said their goodbyes and told everyone how much they loved that everyone had been here, hopped into the car and began the 4+ hour drive back home. The rest of us went back in to celebrate some more.

By 9pm this party had pretty much wrapped up and people were ready to either take their sleepy kids and go to bed or find another party somewhere else. It was time to load the busses for the return trip again. This time it was easier as about half of the guests were staying here. My team and I went around and picked up the few things we needed to before setting out. I made sure the baskets of donations went with me as well as the champagne glasses Sidney had found for them. Everything else wasn’t as important and could be taken back in a few days. As long as it was back in Pittsburgh before Friday we’d be good.

At 9:30 we were loaded up and ready to head for home. We’d make the drive back to Pittsburgh tomorrow after getting some sleep. It took us 25 minutes to get home with the traffic through the tunnel. Geno was very kind and carried Anya into the house and put her to bed. I took the money baskets into the house to keep them safe and count them. When all was totaled Mario’s’ Foundation had $6,500 more to help fight and the Wounded Warrior Project would be splitting just over $21,000 between the U.S. and Canadian Branches. This was _before_ the additions that Sid and Aleks would make as well.

Evgeni came in and began taking off his suit, he whistled as he saw the numbers of the donations. “I know and that’s before Sid and Aleks have seen it and donated.” I got up and stripped myself down as well. It had been a long day already. After that I secured the money in our closet and crawled into bed.

Zhenya leaned over and kissed me sweetly. “Da, time for bed.” He crawled in after me and pulled me to him. “Tomorrow we go home, clean everything and get ready to go _home.” There was wistfulness in his voice. He missed Russia I could hear it.

I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a moment. “I’m nervous and excited about going. Did you talk to Sarge about _her_ any more?”

“Da, he say she not there when they left. We see if she there when we get to Moskva. If so, we deal.” I breathed out, trying to let go of the tension I had around having her anywhere near where I would be living. He tilted my chin up to his face and kissed me with intent. Apparently he thought I needed to relax and that _he_ needed to as well.