"This is Zola. She's 6 months old, born with Spina Bifida. . ." Alex states, going on to detail the care plan for her to the room of attendings and residents–and board members.

"Adorable African children, ego stroking–Karev's a genius." Cristina complains. Their group is standing at the back of the room, watching Alex's presentation.

"Yeah, he's single-handedly stealing Chief Resident out from under all of us, and we're helping him do it." Jackson continues. "I mean, we can't exactly refuse to treat little sick kids without making ourselves look bad."

"He's a genius." April sighs, before saying something in an African dialect. "That's what they say in Swahili."

"Well, he only has a shot because I've been benched." Cristina says, causing Briar to scoff at her.

"He always had a shot. You're not the only amazing surgeon in this place." She defends Alex, annoyed at her for pretending he isn't great at what he does.

"No, I leveled out the playing field. You're all welcome." Cristina insists, while Briar shuts her eyes in order to not snap on her. She's not willing to risk doing that in a room full of her superiors.

"My Alzheimer's trial kicks African–orphan ass." Meredith adds in from where she's sitting in front of them. "It kicks all of your asses."

"You want to keep it down back there?" Richard asks pointedly, turning in his seat to look at them from the front. "I'm trying to listen to what appears to be the next Chief Resident talking."

"Before we go, I just want to say thank you to all of you for your participation. It truly means more than I could say." Alex finishes up, smiling around at all of them. Bailey starts up a slow clap for him, and Briar joins in, getting glared at by her group for doing so.

"Slow clap!" Jackson exclaims. "They're giving him the slow clap! Come on. I'm not giving him the slow clap. Ridiculous."

"Jealousy isn't a pretty look, Avery." Briar teases him, amused at the way he has his arms crossed over his chest while he scowls over the applause.

✦

Her patient is a 16 year old girl named Kamari, traveling with her older sister, Zaire.

Kamari has pulmonary tuberculosis, which puts Briar on Teddy's service for the first time in months. They work alongside Arizona, since this is a peds case. She already did a few rounds of the drugs Arizona had given her when in Africa, and now is here for a surgical removal of what is left of her TB.

Briar spends hours talking to Zaire and a social worker about it, giving them pamphlets and answering all of their questions to the best of her ability. Kamari is mostly silent, watching as her sister makes the decisions for her. Briar can't blame her, knowing that she has pain with breathing and coughing: she wouldn't want to do anything to make that worse, either.

Aside from the surgery, Briar makes sure that they're as comfortable as they can be, providing them with anything they might need. She gives them her phone number in case they need anything or have any questions, but they never call her.

Cristina hunts her down no less than five times to beg to be on the case, having been shut out of Teddy's service after going over her head in the O.R. when Callie was being operated on. She's desperate to get her hands on any cardiothoracic surgery, but Briar refuses to possibly offend Kamari or Zaire by backing down.

✦

There's tension between Alex and Meredith.

Briar has noticed it anytime they're in the same room, and that it ramps up whenever Derek's Alzheimer trial is brought up. It doesn't make sense to Briar, seeing as Alex recommended Meredith to take his position in the trial. Is he having second thoughts?

He hasn't come to her about it, and she's doing her best to not ask any questions, not wanting to poke the bear. It's driving her crazy though. They're being too awkward for her liking.

"Do you seriously have to go to that rehearsal?" Alex asks, sounding bothered as he watches her get dressed. She rolls her eyes at him in the mirror, before holding up two different necklaces for him to choose from. "You look better in silver, here."

Briar hands him the necklace, holding her hair up so he can do up the clasp.

"Yes, I have to go. Arizona's dad invited me personally, and it would be rude of me to not show, especially when they know I'm not working tonight like Cristina is."

"Can I come with you?" He asks, and Briar just shakes her head.

"You weren't invited, so no." She says bluntly, dropping her hair when he moves back. She does a little twirl, showing off her black skirt with a white button up tucked into it–nothing too fancy, because she doesn't want to be overdressed.

"Ugh, I hate you." He says, even as he nods his approval of her outfit before leaving. She laughs at him as he goes, before panicking when he shouts out the time. She's never met Arizona's father in person, but time management seems very important to him from what she's heard.

"Shit, shit, shit." She breathes out, rushing to put on her black heels, and then running out the door.

She makes it perfectly on time, hoping that her face isn't red as she knocks on Callie and Arizona's door, smiling when it's opened by Callie.

"Hey! You're just on time, come in." She says, holding the door open, and Briar ducks in.

"Hi! I'm Briar. Thank you for inviting me." She says to the whole room, looking around. Arizona's father comes to shake her hand, introducing himself as The Colonel.

"It's great to meet you, sir." She says, surprised when he hands her a paper as soon as they stop shaking hands. She's informed that it's the wedding schedule, although she doesn't have time to go through it before she's being introduced to the other parents.

"By the hour, military time–wow." Callie's dad Carlos, who Briar has met before, says in reference to the schedule, not seeming very impressed. "Thank you, Colonel."

"And I picked up a little something for Sofia." Barbera, Arizona's mom, announces as she holds up a little pink dress with a rose in the front. "Look at the little rose bud!"

"Okay, mom, baby clothes later." Arizona says, jumping up to usher her mom back down. "Wedding rehearsal now. I've got 20 minutes before I have to get back to the hospital. Briar, you're still good to babysit, right?"

"Of course." Briar agrees, smiling down at her goddaughter before looking up when Carlos says that he could babysit.

"Oh, I just offered since I know there's a lot of wedding prep happening." Briar says, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings or step on any toes. "I'm happy to help wherever is needed."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you. Perhaps we can pass Sofia back and forth." Carlos decides, and Briar only nods, not wanting to argue with him.

"Dad, where's the moment of silence?" Arizona asks her father, referring to her brother.

"Time is tight, Arizona. I could not find a place in the schedule for it." He states, making Briar raise her eyebrows as she shares a look with Carlos.

You couldn't find time for a moment? She thinks, finding that a bizarre sentence. Everyone grieves differently, but if Arizona wants a moment of silence at her wedding, she should get one.

"Well, we have to light a candle for Timothy. It's two minutes." Arizona protests. "Dad."

"Sweetie, don't push it." Barbera says, but Briar shakes her head, flipping through the schedule. There has to be a good moment . . .

"Arizona, why don't you do it after we all walk down the aisle, before your vows?" She suggests, causing Arizona to light up. "That gives everyone time to slow down and enjoy the moment, instead of rushing straight into the ceremony."

"The table is the altar!" Callie calls out, changing the subject before The Colonel can protest her suggestion. "And the lamp is . . ."

"Father Brooks." Arizona finishes.

"Your priest?" Callie's mom asks, while Callie clears her throat.

"Minister." She corrects quietly. "No, he's not Catholic, but he practices at a very big church. It's–it's old and drafty. It's–you'll like it. It's very churchy."

"I see." Lucia says with a smile, not looking very thrilled about there not being a priest involved. Briar remembers everything Mark told her about how she refuses to even hold Sofia, or get involved in discussions about Callie marrying a woman, and she feels horrible for Callie.

"Okay, Mrs. Torres, you'll be over here in the front row." Arizona directs.

"Okay, and I know where you want me. Right here to walk my little girl down the aisle." Carlos says, standing up and moving to Callie to begin rehearsing.

"Sorry, sorry. Surgery ran long but I'm here." Mark says, coming inside of the apartment. "I made it. Where do you want me?" He asks, coming to stand next to Barbera.

"That is not where you will be." The Colonel tells him.

"Oh, this is your spot? Sorry." Mark says, sliding over one space. Briar feels her body shaking as she holds in her laugh. She loves Mark too much.

"Hey, Mark. Why don't you stand over here next to me?" Carlos suggests.

"At least one of my Fathers-in-law doesn't hate me." Mark mumbles.

"You're Sofia's father. I love Sofia, so I'm gonna at least try to like you." Carlos states. "But if you call me your Father-in-law again, I'll knock you out."

"Okay." Callie says, sighing. "Briar, I'm using Sofia as my bouquet, so . . . here."

Briar laughs when she's handed a baby doll in place of her goddaughter.

"Briar walks down the aisle first, with Sofia." Callie continues. "There she goes."

Briar grins to herself as she walks to the lamp, throwing down fake flowers as she goes, while still cradling the baby doll in her other hand.

"Great! And now Arizona goes." Callie narrates, watching as The Colonel walks Arizona to join Briar. "And now I go." She says while walking with her father and Sofia, before turning to her mom and looking hopeful.

"And then I hand the bouquet to–Mom . . . can I hand you the bouquet?"

Briar holds her breath, since Lucia hasn't held her yet.

"Actually, I, um, I–I need to use the powder room." Lucia makes an excuse and rushes from the room. "Excuse me."

Briar feels her heart drop when Callie looks disappointed.

"Well, I'd like some more bouquet time if you don't mind." Carlos comes to the rescue, and Briar smiles at the way Callie beams at her dad as she hands her over. "I haven't had enough bouquet time today."

✦

"You did an X-Ray, C.T., and a MRI on a mouse?" Briar questions, gaping at Jackson, who looks proud of himself as he shows her the scans. "Jackson, that's–that's–"

"Brilliant? Groundbreaking?" He fills in the blanks, making her laugh as she shakes her head.

"An insane waste of money. Jay, what did Webber say about it?"

"Well, he was mad until I showed him that." Jackson says, pointing to the MRI. Briar rolls her eyes at him, pulling it closer to her face and squinting. "I figured out that the device needs to be closer to the surface!"

"Oh, wow." Briar breathes out, smiling at how proud Jackson looks. He's been growing his hair out a little bit, and Briar has to say that that mixed with his proud smile is really doing it for her. "Jackson, that's huge."

"I know! I mean, I thought that dealing with the mice was a waste of time, especially when I–"

"Started talking to them?" Briar asks innocently, grinning when he falters and looks at her with surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"I came in here earlier to see if you wanted lunch, and saw you talking to Mouse H." She says with a laugh, remembering how into it he'd been. "I figured I would leave you to it."

"You can't tell anyone." He tells her seriously, pointing a finger at her.

"Hmm, maybe. We'll see." She says with a smirk, planning on holding that over his head for as long as possible.

✦

Lucia ends up leaving, after telling Callie a lot of horrible things about her marrying a woman. Callie makes Carlos leave with her, although it's clear he is completely supportive of her sexuality now. Since they can't catch a break, the minister ends up unable to come due to a family medical emergency.

Callie almost calls off the wedding.

Briar spends her time trying to comfort her, relieved when Bailey takes over. Briar can't relate to any of the religious issues Callie is having, but she's sure Bailey can handle it better than her.

When her phone rings as she's talking to Mark in his apartment across the hall, she almost cries.

"If that's the caterers canceling or something, I'm going to punch a hole in the wall." She tells Mark with a fake smile, before brightening up when she sees it's Jackson, moving to the hallway to answer it.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Do you have a minute?" He asks, and she thinks for a second.

"I have probably an hour or so. Why? Is everything okay?"

"I'm outside, come meet me." He says, hanging up immediately after. Briar blinks down at the phone before popping her head back into Mark's.

"Hey, that was just Jackson, not anything with the wedding." She explains. Mark lets out a huge sigh of relief, nodding in thanks. "I'll be back in a bit. Call me if there's another crisis."

When she gets outside, she finds Jackson inside of his car, and she shakes her head at him as she gets in the passenger seat.

"Okay, seriously, what's going on?" She asks, confused about why he showed up with no warning.

"We're going shopping." He tells her, pulling out of the parking lot before she can protest. She splutters, surprised, even as she pulls on her seatbelt.

"Why are we going shopping now?" She asks, getting no answer. "Jackson, seriously. I have a hundred things I have to do before tomorrow."

He doesn't answer that, or any of her questions, until she finally gives up. When they pull up in front of a suit store, she laughs loudly.

"Jackson, did you forget to buy a suit for the wedding?" She asks him, amused at the thought. "Also, I would've thought a rich boy like yourself would have one in your closet already."

He rolls his eyes at her but holds the door open for her anyways, and she's still laughing as she ducks inside, only for him to pull her into the back of the store. Briar smiles at the sales associate that greets them, waving over her shoulder since Jackson is moving too fast for her to stop and talk to her.

"What color is your dress for the wedding?" Jackson asks her, and she raises her eyebrows at him.

"Oh, he speaks." She says sarcastically, looking at the lines of ties he's looking through. "Lavender. I'm walking Sofia, since she's the flower girl, and she's wearing a white dress with a lavender belt so we match."

"Which shade is closest to it?" Jackson asks her, holding up two lavender ties a moment later. Briar just stares at him, confused.

"Uh, the one on the left. Why, though?"

"'Cause, we're going to the wedding together." He tells her, moving further into the store. Briar gapes after him before moving to follow him.

"Um, since when?" She asks, frowning when he doesn't even turn to look at her, instead going through button-up shirts, holding them up and putting them back when they don't pass whatever mental test he's doing.

"Since now. Look, we both like each other, and I don't want to dance around that for the rest of our lives." He says, and Briar frowns even harder.

"It wouldn't be for the rest–" She starts to defend herself, but he cuts her off.

"There's always going to be a reason to not get together." He says, finally turning to look at her. The serious look on his face silences her. "There's always going to be some trauma or bad timing or something. I don't want to not be with you because of any of that, and I know that you're scared because this is new to you, but you have nothing to be scared of with me. So we're going to go to this wedding together, as a date, and we're going to have fun. We can have the serious conversations later. Now, which shirt should I wear?"

"This one." Briar answers after a long pause, not fighting against anything he said, too shocked to. She points to the shirt she prefers. "I'll have them change the seating chart so that we're together during the ceremony, if you want."

"Great. I'd offer to pick you up, but you're in the wedding party."

"Yeah. I'll, uh, I'll see you there." Briar agrees weakly.

✦

"So. Jackson is my date to the wedding now." Briar tells Mark later that night. He jerks his head up from where he's cooking them dinner.

"Wait, seriously? When did that start? Why didn't you tell me?" He asks all at once, and she laughs.

"Well, I kissed him the day that Sofia opened her eyes." Briar confesses, leaning against the counter and watching him stir the ravioli. "But I wanted to focus on all of you guys, so I told him that we should wait."

"Briar." Mark says softly. "Thank you. I never meant for you to put your life on pause for us."

"I didn't." Briar says firmly, shaking her head. "You're all my family. When I agreed to be Sofia's godmother, I took that seriously. I wouldn't change anything from the last few months."

"I love you." He tells her, before yelping when the pot boils over, rushing to turn down the heat.

"Love you too. Anyway, he called earlier to say that he was outside, and he took me to a suit shop. He got a tie in the same color as my dress for the wedding and just told me that we were going together now."

"Oh, I know that got you all hot and bothered." Mark says knowingly. Briar chokes, having just taken a sip of her water.

"What?" She starts, clearing her throat, but he just smirks at her.

"I know you. You like it when someone you're interested in gets assertive." He says, waving his spoon at her before beginning to plate up their meals. He slides hers across, laughing when Briar makes an eager noise at the sight.

"Yeah." Briar confesses after a few moments. "He just told me flat out that he didn't want to waste time because of fear or bad timing, and the whole thing was really hot."

"About time he got his shit together and got serious about you." Mark says approvingly, ignoring the way Briar rolls her eyes at him. "Bring him to dinner one of these days. I want to have a talk with him."

"You're not serious."

"I am. I should get to know him, right?"

"Why are you the way you are?" Briar asks with a sigh, although she can't help but smile at him a moment later. It's sweet, the whole overprotective friend thing. "Fine. I'll figure out a time to throw a dinner."

"Great. I'll prepare my shovel talk. I gotta get all the practice I can before Sofia's a teenager."

✦

"It's my own damn fault." Miranda says to herself, walking up the aisle to meet Mark and Briar. Briar gives her a smile, grabbing Sofia from Mark so that his hands are free. "Had I minded my own business, the wedding would be canceled, and I'd be home looking at TV by now. Hey."

"You're gonna be fine." Mark assures her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the altar. "You're doing great, come on."

Briar smiles to herself when Miranda doesn't let go of his hand once she's in position, making him have to tell her to.

"Sofia, say hi." She coos, lifting one of Sofia's hands to wave at Miranda, who smiles warmly at her and waves back. "And now say bye-bye!"

"What, no, bring the baby back!" Miranda calls after her, starting to sound nervous again now that Sofia's leaving. Briar ignores her, heading to her and Sofia's starting place. She only left so that she could make sure the decorations and everything were okay–she'd helped set up in the morning, but was still anxious that something would have happened when she wasn't looking.

Arizona and The Colonel are in position, and Arizona smiles at Briar as she slips into her place in-front of them, while her dad looks ready to kill Briar for not standing there the whole time. Arizona looks gorgeous, with her hair curled and her off-white, strapless dress. Briar is obsessed with the floral appliques on it, and can't wait to see how she looks next to Callie, who is wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress with beaded sleeves and a draped skirt. Briar is glad that they're not wearing the same shade of white, thinking that it'll look better both in person and in pictures.

Briar gives Mark a fist bump when he slips past her to join Callie, since he's walking her down the aisle in place of her father. They can hear guests arriving and getting settled, and Briar bounces on her feet, trying to ignore the nerves that are suddenly eating at her. The thought of Jackson waiting for her makes her both excited and terrified.

"We've got this, right, sweetheart?" She murmurs, rocking Sofia before settling her more comfortably, holding her basket of flowers–white and purple rose petals– in that same hand so that she can pull from it as she walks down the aisle.

What feels like a second later, the music starts up and she moves forward. She smiles as naturally as she can, feeling awkward until she turns the corner and sees a crowd of her favorite people, and her smile becomes more genuine. The guests all stand when they see her and Sofia, and she smiles down at Sofia when she sees all of them looking at her, before looking back up as she throws down the flowers. She gives a few to Sofia, who waves them around in the air and makes the crowd laugh, before she reaches the end of the aisle, taking a quick right and sitting down next to Jackson.

She twists immediately, watching as Arizona walks down the aisle with her father, exchanging a moment with him that makes Briar have mixed emotions. It's beautiful to witness, but it also makes her realize that she'll never have that for herself, although she quickly shuts those thoughts out.

Callie and Mark follow, whispering to each other for a second before Callie makes eye-contact with Arizona and looks immediately relaxed and completely in love.

They both look stunning, and Briar can't stop smiling as she sees how happy they are to be getting married. They reach the altar in no time, standing in-front of Miranda.

"Okay, um, Arizona is going to light a candle and say a few words about her brother." Miranda states, and Arizona moves from her spot to do just that. Briar blocks her out, feeling rude for it but wanting to make sure that Sofia is content so that she–hopefully–doesn't start crying during the ceremony.

"Here you go." Briar whispers, giving her her pacifier–a purple one that Briar bought specifically for this occasion. She has a diaper bag at her seat just in case Sofia needs anything, although she already fed her before the wedding and had Mark change her, teasing that it was his duty as the father. He's never complained about it once around her, so enamored by fatherhood and Sofia.

"Do you want help?" Jackson whispers to her, but she shakes her head, a pro at taking care of her by now.

"No, but thank you." She whispers back, silently pleased that he offered.

Once Arizona is back to her spot, Miranda continues with the ceremony.

"Who gives this bride to this bride?" She asks with a smile, while both of the brides turn to Mark, who smiles softly at Callie.

"That'd be me."

Briar grins to herself when Jackson wraps his arm around her shoulders, turning to give him a soft smile. The sight of his lavender tie makes Briar feel way too many emotions, quickly turning back to the front, but not before leaning into Jackson and getting comfortable. Mark sits next to her a second later, giving her and Jackson an appraising look before giving her a–not subtle at all–thumbs up. She shakes her head at him, trying desperately not to laugh, and watches as he grabs one of Sofia's hands to hold, not wanting to move her and cause a fuss.

"We are here today to celebrate love and happiness and loyalty and, well, in my opinion, a little bit of magic." Miranda states, making both brides laugh with joy. They continue through the vows, giving each other their rings, and Briar can't stop smiling the entire time.

"Okay, I hereby pronounce you wife and wife." Miranda finishes, sounding the most excited Briar has ever heard her. The guests all clap and aww as they have their first kiss as a married couple, and Briar makes Sofia clap for them, hearing both Mark and Jackson laughing at her as she does.

They all stand up to cheer for their exit, and then it's time for the party.

Briar turns to Mark who instantly holds his hands out for his baby, making Briar laugh as she hands her over, scooping up the diaper bag for him as well. He's taking her back to his apartment, where a babysitter is waiting to watch her, and then he'll join them at the reception.

Jackson drives her there, one hand handing hers over the center console, listening to her explain the nightmare that has been helping with wedding planning. He laughs at her multiple times, throwing in sarcastic comments that have her wiping away tears when they get to the venue. She rolls her eyes at him when he tells her to stay in the car just so he can rush to open the passenger door for her, even if she's secretly pleased about it.

Or not so secretly, if the smirk on his face means anything.

"You ready to dance?" He asks her with a grin, and she beams back.

"Oh, just wait." She says with a laugh, ducking past him to open the door before he can get to it, waving him through with an exaggerated bow. "I've needed this for so long. You're going to have to drag me off of the dance floor."

Briar smiles at the decorations around the place, taking a second to look around her and take it all in. Purple is still the main color, with gold and white accent pieces around the room. There are fairy lights dotted around the room, and it all looks absolutely perfect.

"Hey! Lex, you look great." Briar gushes when she sees Lexie, who is wearing a multi-colored striped dress that fits her perfectly. The main color is blue, which Briar always loves her in.

"Oh, shush, you look stunning. Jackson, tell her." Lexie says back, pulling Briar into a hug. "Also, about time you two. It's been driving me crazy to watch."

"Literally shut up." Briar tells her with a laugh, shoving her away jokingly and snorting as she watches her immediately turn to go talk to Cristina, who is on the edge of the dance floor with Owen.

"She's right, though. You do look stunning. I couldn't take my eyes off of you." Jackson tells her, and she smiles, trying to ignore the blush she can feel forming.

"You look beautiful too." Briar tells him, meaning it, as she reaches up and gently tugs on his tie. "Lavender is a good color for you. You made a good choice with it."

"Yeah." He says softly, holding eye contact with her. "I did, didn't I?"

And well, Briar would be an idiot if she didn't kiss him after that.

✦

"Oh! First dance!" April calls out, rushing to get her camera ready and get pictures, moving around Arizona and Callie to get all the angles. Briar smiles after her, loving how eager she is as she gets candid shots, and making a mental note to get pictures from her later.

April already made her and Jackson take some, and she's sure she'll be in a ton that she didn't know about later, but she isn't upset about it at all. Instead, she's been making sure to get pictures of April, so that she isn't the only one left out, as often happens with photographers.

"Come on." Briar pulls Jackson up, leading him to the edge of the dance floor to Lexie, Owen and Cristina. She's happy when Alex joins them a moment later.

"So my date just called to say that she got stuck delivering a baby." He tells them, holding a glass of beer. "Literally–the baby got stuck halfway out."

"Yikes." Briar says, before winking at Alex. "Don't worry, baby, I'll save a dance for you."

"Yay." He says sarcastically, causing Owen to laugh.

"I was wrong to doubt the mice." Jackson states suddenly, surprising Briar with the topic change. "Karev, watch your back, 'cause Mouse J has just made me a contender. Thank you, Mouse J."

Jackson reaches out with his champagne glass, and Briar shakes her head in amusement even as she taps hers against it.

"That's Mouse H erasure." Briar tells him with a teasing grin, yelping when he pinches her in the side. She swats at his side, relieved that they're still able to tease each other and act—mostly—the same. That was one of her biggest worries. She hates change.

"You're not the only contenders, you know?" Owen tells them. "My sources tell me that Kepner could be a dark horse."

"Oh, please." Cristina scoffs, leaving, but Briar nods.

"Hell yeah she is." She says in support, smiling back when Owen gives her an approving nod. "What? Guys, she's great at patient care."

"Right. No offense, Dr. Hunt, but I have you scheduled for a Swenson procedure on a 2-year-old orphan tomorrow morning." Alex says, grabbing Owen's glass as he goes to take a drink. The rest of them stare at him in differing stages of annoyance for the obvious brag. "I'm sure you understand. I'm just looking out for the kids . . . that I brought here . . . from Africa."

They all watch him leave, and Briar shakes her head before turning to Jackson when the party music starts up, the first dance being done.

"Want to go find April and dance?" She asks, pulling him in after her in search of her favorite redhead. They find April, dancing very crazily with Arizona and Callie, and waste no time in matching her energy.

Briar and Jackson teach April as many dances as they can think of. Briar especially loves teaching her how to Wobble, cracking up the entire time at April's confusion over it. She's so cute, and Briar can't help but pull her in close and dance with her properly, teaching her how to move her hips.

"You're hot, even if you don't know it." She whispers in her ear, wishing that April would have more confidence in herself. That comes with time, and experience, and Briar hopes she gets to witness it one day. "It's just me. No one is looking at you, let loose."

April does, and Briar's never been prouder.

By the time the DJ calls for everyone's attention, Briar is a sweaty mess, having danced with everyone she saw–including Richard.

"Alright, it's now time to clear the floor and make way for the father daughter dance." He says, making people rush to leave. Briar freezes, turning to look at Callie, who just smiles while Arizona apologizes for forgetting to remove the dance from the schedule.

"Of course you should get to dance with your dad. It's okay." She assures her, taking a step back. "I'll just sit this one out."

"No, you won't. I'm a father." Mark says, stepping forward. "I can dance. Let's dance."

Callie lets out a relieved laugh as she falls into Mark's arms. Briar rushes to grab April's camera so that she can take pictures, smiling when she feels Jackson wrap his arms around her from behind, swaying into him.

"May I cut in?" Carlos asks a minute into the dance. Briar gasps, relieved that he changed his mind and showed up for her.

"She's all yours." Mark says with a smile, stepping back to stand next to Briar.

Briar turns to him, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, only for him to tug the camera from her hands. Briar watches as he takes a few pictures of Callie and Carlos, before turning around and snapping a picture of her and Jackson.

"Oh, come on, I wasn't ready for that." She whines, rolling her eyes when he takes another one before handing the camera back.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Jackson whispers in her ear, and she arches her eyebrows as she spins around in his arms to face him.

"Yeah? You want to take me home?" She asks back just as quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck, just to shake her head after he nods his. "Not a chance. I did not stress over this wedding for the last few months only to leave before the cake was cut. Nice try, though."

"So . . . after the cake?" He asks her hopefully, while she pulls away from him, planning to ask Mark to dance with her.

"Hmm, maybe. Ask me again after." She says with a teasing smile over her shoulder, already walking away from him.

It's the best wedding Briar has ever been to.

authors note

i am seriously SO excited for this upcoming season. i have so many things planned (and one of the chapters already written)

briar & jackson are finally communicating omg. there will be a big conversation at some point but for now they're just having fun <3 i love them. i know this probably seems dreadfully slow, but you have to remember that briar is traumatized, and she's scared. change is terrifying, especially when she's never actually dated anyone properly before. she's scared of losing jackson!!

i made a tiktok for this account <3 it's calsvalentineswp and i figured i could start making edits when im bored bc i adore these characters. plus, if anyone wants to talk about anything, you can dm me there since wattpad got rid of that feature!!

love you guys sm
hope you're all doing okay!!