Part One: Lightning Crashes: The Reverb

The night before the wedding was a restless one, for both Gatoris and Aerith. Gatoris could not sleep. It’s been two thousand years, he thought to himself, since we tried this. He unexpectedly received a reply to this thought. He heard Angie’s voice within his mind: "Yes, it’s been a long time, Garrett." Wow, he thought, she knows telepathy... but since when? Again, she replied: "Since I discovered my past. You have discovered one of yours..." Garrett thought deeply. Yes, it seemed he had unlocked a power he did not realize he once had: the ability to heal like Jupiter does. But where did he get this power? Angie seemed to have all the answers. "2000 years ago, you were originally gifted with the powers. You were supposed to help the Senshi..." Garrett became puzzled. "...It was decided that you were not suited to do so. The spell you cast on us disqualified you." The spell... of course. Garrett had cast a spell to keep them united forever. If he helped the Senshi, he could not be reunited with Angie. So Almathea was picked instead. Suddenly, Aerith was in the room. "You got it now..." Gatoris looked up and smiled. "Yeah... One thing gets me, though." "What?" "I was told that if I married you, Angie would return to her former life... I’m not sure I want that now..." Angie’s eyes stared through Garrett’s soul. "Not to worry... You can have both. I will still be here, as well as alive again." Garrett was still confused. "Watch..." With that Angie emerged from Aerith, but Aerith’s eyes were still blue... just like Angie’s. This did not help Garrett at all. Then Aerith spoke in Angie’s voice. "Remember what Zack said. We are now the same person, only in different dimensions. If I live, she lives. If she is happy, I feel it." Garrett started to smile, but he cried instead. "I can’t believe it... You had this planned?" Both spoke. "Yes, we did." Aerith continued. "I am still the Angelina Bradford you loved, as she is. I will keep on here, while she returns to her other friends and family." Garrett ‘s tears began to let up. "The same old Angie... Thinking of everyone else..." "Thank you, Garrett. You probably would have done the same thing." Angie complimented. He hanged his head. "No, I would have opted to stay with you..." "Well, that would have been your choice. This is mine." "And I think you made the right one." Angie looked Garrett in the eyes. "It is time for me to return. I will always be here though." With that, the second Angie disappeared.

Meantime, in a hospital room in Terre Haute, Angelina’s mother was beginning to fall asleep from staying at her daughter’s side for countless hours. Just as she was falling asleep, she believed she saw something move. She looked at Angie, and noticed nothing but a motionless body. She tried to go back to sleep, but she began to hear a voice. It was Angie’s, and it was coming from her. She kept listening to her, hoping this meant she was coming around. Suddenly, she shouted out a name: Garrett. Her mother called for the nurses. She had finally awakened. Angie sat up in her bed. She looked at the corner of the room: there were two empty chairs. She immediately thought of them. And she cried.

"It’s all right, honey." Angelina’s mother tried to console her. "At least you are alive." "Yeah," Angie spoke. "I still miss those two..." "Those... two? Angie, you want to tell me something?" Mrs. Bradford was caught off-guard by that remark. "I was in love with both of them. Jason and Garrett. I just never had the courage to tell Garrett, though. I admired the fact he told me he loved me, even though he knew I loved Jason." "I’m just glad we didn’t lose you. Your great aunt Amy died in a similar manner. She was in love with a man, but they were in a car accident..." Mrs. Bradford was speaking of an event that Angie should not have know about. But Angie continued. "Yes. He tried to get her medical help, but he died before he got to the hospital. She was depressed, and died of her wounds." Mrs. Bradford was stunned. "How did you know that?" Angie smiled. "She’s been watching me all this time. In fact, I saw her. Grandma was right. I look exactly like her." After an hour of talk, Angelina was ready to go home.

Her car was waiting for her in the parking lot. She felt she was able to drive home, so she did. When she entered her car, there was a cassette in her stereo. It was labeled simply: To Angie, From your friends. She started to play it. It started out with Jared Stone, a classmate of hers that had a band, dedicating a song to her. "This one is for Angie. Get better soon, for all of us." It then went into the song "Lightning Crashes". When the first words came out, Angie seemed like she had just heard a voice from beyond the grave. The singer sounded like it was... Garrett! She immediately pulled over, and called Jared with her car phone. "Angie! You are OK!" was his first response. "On that tape you gave me, who did you get to sing?" Angie asked. "What do you mean? We did it as an instrumental, as a tribute to the three of you." Jared was confused. Angie played the tape. The voice was faint, but unmistakable: it was Garrett singing. Jared dropped the phone. Angie sped back to Deadwood.

When she arrived back in town, she stopped by the florist and picked up some flowers. She then stopped by her house and picked up a box that was left by Jason before he jumped in front of the train. Then it was off to the cemetery. She took some of the flowers and placed them on Jason’s grave. She then spoke. "I still love you, Jason. Wait for me." She then walked slowly to Garrett’s grave. She could not believe that she was at this place again. She was slightly better, but she was still miserable. She laid the white roses on the ground, then opened the box. Jason had given back her class ring. She looked at it, then she laid it on top of Garrett’s headstone. She again spoke. "I know you’re watching me, Gator." Indeed, Garret was watching. "I know you loved me, but I have something to confess..." Angie was holding back tears. "I... I loved you, as well. I just wish I could have told you when I had the chance..." The tears could not be held back anymore. She began to cry uncontrollably. Her friends had been watching, as well. They all came to comfort her. Garrett sighed. She was all right in this dimension: she still had her friends. Though it hurt a little, he would have to leave part of her here. He took one last look at the scene, and then left for his dimension.

She’s going to be just fine, Gatoris thought.

Part Two: The BIG Day Arrives...

When Gatoris finally got to sleep, he had visions again. It was of that wedding... 2000 years or so ago. He could see the thing in it’s entirety. From him walking down the aisle to where they kissed. They had made it through the wedding. The event that killed them had happened the next day... Gatoris thought about Aerith’s vision. Could it be possible that Hojo would try to kill him on his wedding day? Before he could answer himself, it was time to get up. Mog had came and roused him from his slumber. "Wake up! It’s time for ya to get hitched, kupo!" Gatoris literally leapt from his bed and landed next to his closet. He opened the door, and his tuxedo was on a hanger waiting. It was just a basic black tux. No tie, for Gatoris had a thing about wearing them. He was about to take off his clothes to change, but Mog suggested he showered. Gatoris normally did not shower in the morning, but he felt it was for the best. He did not want to stink at his wedding. Mog got the rings ready. Gatoris toweled off and slipped into his tux. He was ready for the biggest day of his life. Now, was Aerith ready?

Pretty much. She had her dress laid out, waiting for her to put it on. Her bridesmaid helped her into the white gown. "I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me, Jupiter." Aerith complimented. "Come on, Aerith. You know I’m always willing to help out my friends. I just wonder who the best man is? Gatoris never told anyone..." Jupiter was cut off mid-sentence. "I know who it is, but I am not saying." Aerith hinted. Jupiter just stared in amazement. With the dress on, everything was ready. Now for the beginning.

Cloud and Tifa went first, as was the arrangement. Not much exciting happened. Then came Gatoris and Aerith. The bridesmaid was Jupiter, but everyone was surprised by the best man. Even Aerith was shocked. She expected Sephiroth to come out, but it wasn’t him. Gatoris had picked Cloud. (That, and Sephy wasn’t back from his journey...)Aerith and Gatoris got to the altar, and their ceremony began. Ifalna, being the only Cetra not being married, performed the ceremony. Ifalna got to the crucial part: "If anyone here sees reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace." Of course, there was some baka there to wreck it.

Part Three: Hojo, the Party Wrecker

(Or, The Valentine Family Tree)

Like clockwork, Hojo showed up. "It’s hard to marry a corpse, so I object." Aerith froze. She hated being right... Then Hojo said something she didn’t predict. "In all honesty, I think you two would make lovely samples for my next experiment. The only thing is, you have to die first. Now, let’s see... Who do I plug first?" Hojo pulled out Vincent’s Death Penalty from his lab coat, and aimed for Aerith. "Yes... She’ll make a good wife for me..." Gatoris stepped in front of her. "You have to kill me first, Hojo." Having no objections to the idea, Hojo squeezed the trigger. The bullet came flying toward Gatoris.

Meanwhile, back in Deadwood, Angelina was visiting her friends’ gravesides again. She went to check on Garrett’s to see if the ring was still there. She could see it glistening in the new-fallen snow. She clutched it to her body and thought of him. She took his class ring, which Garrett’s mother had given to her, and placed it on the chain. She then placed it back on the stone. The rings seemed to glow in the sun. They glowed with a silvery flash...

...a silvery flash surrounded the area where the bullet hit Gatoris’ body. He fell down, but it was just from the impact. Gatoris was in the process of getting up to attack Hojo when the door opened again. "Just the man I was looking for.." The man said. "Ah, I’m glad my son could make it..." Hojo said without looking. The man stepped into the light. "I am not your son..." Sephiroth said. "What do you mean? I was there when your mother gave birth to you!" Hojo was getting agitated. "I know, she told me. You are the one who also tried to poison her with Jenova and kill my father!" Everyone but Hojo, Gatoris, Aerith, Jupiter, and Ifalna gasped. "Smart boy. Then who, pray tell, is your father?" Sephiroth pointed to the back rows of guests, where Vincent was sitting. "Him. Vincent is my true father!" Vincent did not show any emotion, but Gatoris could tell that deep inside he was a jumble of feelings. "You catch on quick, Sephiroth. Did your mother tell you anything else?" Hojo was trying to see if Lucretia had divulged any more secrets. "Yes. I also discovered that I am a father myself..." Everyone in the room gasped. Sephiroth... a father? Now THIS was heavy. "It’s Yuffie..." he proclaimed. Upon hearing these words, she immediately passed out. "I’ll explain it later. By the way... what do you think you’re doing, busting up my friend’s wedding?" Sephiroth grabbed him by the neck and gave him a stern look. Hojo, for once in his life, could not back-talk his way out of something... Sephiroth gave him one last look and told him "Say hello to Jenova for me..." He then tossed him skyward. "Now, I think there’s a wedding to finish." He sat next to his daughter and watched contentedly. Ifalna finally raised her head from the altar and continued the ceremony. Since Hojo was the only one who spoke up, she continued past there. "Aerith, do you take Gatoris to be your husband, to love and to honor, till death do you part?" Aerith replied, locked in a gaze with Gatoris, "I do." The ceremony continued. "Gatoris, do you take Aerith to be your wife, to love ant to honor, to death do you part?" Gatoris gave more than just a simple reply. "Why stop at death?" Ifalna’s eyes rolled. "I’ll take that as an ‘I do.’ Now, the rings." Mog was ready. The two ancient rings were placed on a pillow. Gatoris grabbed the one with the red diamond in the center, and placed it on Aerith’s hand. It caught the light to where it let of it’s brightest hue. Aerith took the other ring. It was more than a simple wedding band. It was two dragons, entangled within each other, with one having a diamond for an eye, the other an emerald. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride, Gatoris." Gatoris did not hesitate. The two were in a long, warm embrace, trading kisses within an instant. Sephiroth smiled.

Back at the cemetery in Deadwood, Angie had a feeling go down her body. A kind of a cold chill, yet surprisingly warm. She looked at the rings again. The sun now caught the stones in the perfect light. The emerald and topaz let off a mesmerizing color combination. She knew that wherever Garrett and Jason were, they were both happy now. Angelina smiled in-between the thoughts of her two lost friends. She kept smiling, wanting Garrett to be happy. As long as she was still happy, she knew he would be happy.