𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐨𝐧𝐞 | 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻

THE BRIEFING ROOM IS FULL for the morning meeting. Terry is stood at the front with his clipboard as Amy delves into explaining one of her open cases. Both Kat and Gina are sat in the front row, quietly whispering to each other as they jot down things on their notepads. "Gregor Minsk, the counterfeiter I've been chasing for two years, has finally resurfaced," Amy announces. "And he's just as evil as ever."

Jake nods, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Right, you hate him because he has a typo on his counterfeit bills."

"No," Amy denies firmly. "Because he passed four million dollars in fraudulent bills, Jake." Jake raises his brows expectantly. "But also, two Rs in 'pluribus?' I mean, did none of those cashiers take Latin?"

"Okay, let's give Amy a round of applause for whatever that was," Gina says, pushing the woman aside to stand behind the podium.

"Police briefing. Still in progress."

Kat's chair screeches back and she waves a hand at her best friend. "It's over now," she replies. Amy's eyes widen. "We need to get serious, people! Tomorrow is the wedding." Charles beams.

Gina nods, sparing a brief glance to her sister as Kat comes to stand beside her. "Our mom is marrying, shudder, Charles's dad, toilet emoji."

"We're gonna be brother and sisters," Charles exclaims happily. His eyes meet Gina's. "To think this started with us just going to town on each other's sexy parts." Almost everyone in the room groans.

"Boyle," Kat exclaims with annoyance. "If you tell me that's in your toast, I will cut off your testicles." Gina quickly nods in agreement with the threat.

Charles stares back at her blankly. "... It's not," he says hesitantly. She throws her hands up in defeat.

"Come on, man," Gina protests. "Look, we need everything to be perfect."

The sergeant's eyes meet her friend's. "Rosa, status update," Kat demands. "How are the flowers?"

"I don't know," she answers. Rosa pauses before adding, "Yellow."

"Terr Bear?"

Terry sighs. "I had my tuxedo altered to make it tighter like you wanted," he tells Gina.

She smiles. "Delicious."

Kat's eyes narrow as she finds the person who has possibly the most important job of all. "Peralta, have you checked in with the jeweller?" she questions him hopefully.

Jake nods. "Yes," he confirms. Both Linettis let out sighs of relief. "They said the ring will be ready at two on the wedding day. I'm gonna pick it up on my way to the ceremony."

Gina leans on the podium, trying to emphasise to him the importance of the task. "This is very important, Jake," she stresses. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

He leans back in his chair and uncrosses his arms. "Uh, well, let's see," he begins. "Easy, last-minute, and crucial as hell. Meets all the Peralta criteria."

Kat smiles. "Perfect. These tasks are top priority around here, people. And when I say top priority, I mean this wedding is more important than Kim and Kanye's." Gina nods in approval with the statement. "I don't care how many criminals go free."

Gina clasps her hands together as she steps back. "You heard the woman," she says. "Dismissed."

Amy holds her hands up to stop everyone from leaving. "Uh, I'm not done with my briefing yet," she tells them.

"I said dismissed!"

⋆。 ﾟ✩ ⋆。 ﾟ☀︎。 ⋆

Even though her personal life is currently chaotic, Kat still has to work. Apparently, crime doesn't stop even when she wishes it would. Holt had granted the entire squad the weekend off, giving them – particularly Kat, Gina, and Charles – to enjoy the wedding and spend time with friends and family.

Currently, Rosa is giving Katherine an in-depth description of how the flowers look. The questions had ranged from 'Are they dead?' 'Do they look gorgeous?' 'How yellow is yellow?' or 'Do you know what I will do to you if even one of them is falling apart?' Charles is listening in amusement. He finds it sweet how much his future sister cares about the big day.

Jake slides over and perches atop of Kat's desk, an excited smile on his face. "Guys, guess who I'm about to see."

"The Bubes?" Charles guesses. Jake's brows draw together. "Michael Bublé?"

"Okay, you're the only one who calls him that," Jake says.

"Actually, my mother does," Katherine confesses.

He hums in surprise. "Then you're one of the only two people who call him that," he corrects himself. "And no. Jenny Gildenhorn." Kat sighs. His obsession with Jenny had been ongoing ever since his thirteenth birthday.

"The girl who dumped you at your bar mitzvah?" Charles checks.

"Yes." Jake looks off, a distant glint in his eyes as he recalls the heartbreaking moment. "I can still see her slow-dancing with Eddie Fung."

Charles shakes his head. "I'll never forgive that bitch for what she did to you," he says irritably.

"Well, you better forgive her because she's about to become, uh, my girlfriend," Jake grins. He points to the blonde. "Turns out your mom is friends with Jenny Gildenhorn's mom, and Jenny is gonna be at the wedding." Kat's eyes widen in surprise. "That's right. I'm finally gonna get the slow dance that Fung denied me."

Rosa raises the all-important question: "Is she even single?"

"Uh-huh," Jake answers immediately. "For the first time since we were thirteen. Eddy Fung was replaced by Colin Brandow, then Ethan Stokes, then Tanya Astor, don't tell her mother, then she met her husband, Matt Hench, who she divorced three months ago. Probably because he's a major loser. I mean, Assistant US Attorney? Get a real job," he laughs.

"Do I even want to know how you know that?" Kat asks him hesitantly. He's reminding her a little of a serial killer.

Jake shrugs casually. "I've just been keeping tabs on her," he replies.

Rosa takes a sip of her coffee. "Those are some real big tabs."

"Okay, it's most of what I do here."

"There it is."

Charles suddenly catches sight of Amy walking over to them and he tries his best to give Jake a heads-up. "A-ee. A-ee. A-ee. A-ee."

Amy looks between them with confusion. "What's happening?" she questions. "Is Charles having a stroke?"

"No, he's warning me you're here so I won't talk about other girls," Jake explains.

Charles sighs. "I just thought it might be weird for you," he says. "Because of your history."

"It's not weird at all," Amy reassures him. Kat hums, missing the warning split-second glare Amy throws her.

"Yeah," Jake confirms, straightening his hoodie. "I told Amy I liked her, she told me she was deeply in love with me, and it's all in the past." Rosa's eyes flick over to Kat.

"I did not say 'love' or 'deeply,'" Amy says in exasperation.

"It's in the past, Amy. Move on!"

Katherine's lunch break is filled with more wedding planning. Since Gina doesn't really take her job seriously in the first place, she's spent majority of the day completing last-minute tasks. It's twelve-thirty when they get an email that sends them into panic, but two names come to mind that might possibly be able to help solve the problem that has suddenly presented itself.

Kat and Gina hurry into Holt's office where they find the captain conversing with Terry. Gina spreads her arms dramatically, "Would either of you like a starring role in the wedding of the century?"

Holt removes his glasses, his brows raising with interest. Terry sighs as he glances up to them. "I already told you," he begins firmly. "I'm not go-go dancing."

"Well, someone's getting in that cage," Gina tells him.

Kat chuckles, then clears her throat as she turns serious. "Okay, so, our mom's priest just dropped out, and we need one of you two to step up." She huffs a sigh. "The hard part is to figure out who would be better to deliver a heartfelt, emotional speech about love."

"I have to imagine it's not me," Holt assumes.

"I could do it," Terry suggests. "I'm already ordained."

The sisters share a smile. "Perfect," Gina proclaims. "So, our mom likes champagne, baked ziti, the Bahamas. Charles's dad probably lives under a bridge and uses a puddle as a mirror... I don't know. You figure it out."

With one thing less to worry about, they walk out the office with one final task left. One of them had to call the bakery to ask what time the cake would be delivered. As Kat heads into the break room to make the call, she finds Rosa inside with the coffee pot in hand. "Oh, hey," she smiles, sitting down at the table. Her eyebrows furrow as she watches the detective fill her mug up. "Isn't that your third for the day?"

Rosa turns to her with an unamused expression. "You don't have the right to lecture me on drinking too much caffeine," she points out.

Kat sighs. "Yeah, I really don't."

Their attention falls onto Charles who walks in, his gaze locked onto Rosa. "Hey, I had a question about Marcus and the wedding," he tells her.

"I'm not bringing Marcus," Rosa says simply.

Katherine looks up from her phone. Have they broken up? No, Rosa would tell her if they had. But why would Rosa feel obligated to tell her? Unless they haven't broken up and she's purposely not inviting him. Why would she not invite him?

Charles interrupts her spiralling thought process with a similar question of his own. "You guys broke up, huh?" he presumes with a wince. "Mm, just hit and quit it." He exhales a deep breath. "We are so similar."

Rosa rolls her eyes. "We did not break up," she responds. "I'm just not totally sold on the relationship yet, and I don't wanna bring him to some stupid wedding where he might get all romantic and say, 'I love you.' I mean, what am I supposed to do then?"

"Firstly, it's not a stupid wedding," Kat scolds. Her tone turns more cautious as she suggests, "Secondly, say 'I love you' back?"

Rosa glances over to her. "I've only said 'I love you' to three people," she tells the pair quietly. "My mom, my dad, and my dying grandpa. And one of those I regret."

"Which one?"

"Grandpa," she answers with a grimace. "He beat cancer so now I look like an idiot."

Kat tries to supress her laughter at the annoyance radiating off the woman. "You are so consistent," she mutters to herself. Before she can begin imagining another endless list of why Rosa isn't sold on her relationship with Marcus, she finally calls the bakery.

As the sergeant begins talking on the phone, Rosa's eyes linger on her for a few moments. Charles's eyebrows furrow as he catches the subtle movements, and he walks out the room shaking his head. Halfway across the bullpen, he stops in his tracks and loudly gasps in realisation.

⋆。 ﾟ✩ ⋆。 ﾟ☀︎。 ⋆

Darlene Linetti inhales a deep breath as she smells the roses and turns around with a soft smile etched onto her face. "Oh, my darlings, everything is so beautiful," she tells her daughters.

Gina and Kat are wearing their matching dresses, feeling as proud as the other as they look around the ballroom. This is one of the only times that Katherine wouldn't protest to wearing a dress. "Well, as long as you're happy, we're happy," Gina says.

Bear is sat beside Kat, the colour of bowtie attached to his collar matching the women's dresses. His tongue is lolled out the side of his mouth, happily watching the chaos around him. His job is to the ring bearer later in the ceremony. Kat just prays he won't try and chase the doves.

"Personally, I think we should be extra happy since it's your wedding day," Tisha chimes in. Her dress is a shade lighter than her aunt and mother's, but it's the same style; after all, she is a bridesmaid too. She grins when her grandmother wraps an arm around her and pulls her into a hug. Kat smiles softly at the sight – she's beyond happy that the girl has easily integrated into her family.

"Rosa, there you are!" Charles hurries over with his jacket slung over his arm. "Can you help me dad with his cuff links?"

Rosa tears her eyes off Kat and she nods. "Yeah, sure."

"I would do it, but it's bad luck for a boy to see his father on his wedding day."

"Oh, well, in that case, no."

Tisha snickers. Any other day, Kat would be smiling at a remark like that. Any other day. "Rosa," she begins with a sigh. "It's a slippery slope from uncuffed sleeves to Lynn just wearing an old turtleneck down the aisle. Please."

"Actually, my dad can really rock a turtleneck," Charles reveals. Gina closes her eyes. Tisha pulls a face. "Gives him a sexy Elliott Gould vibe."

Bear barks.

"Charles, shut up," Gina instructs. He quickly falls silent. "Rosa, go find Lynn Boyle and cuff his ass."

With her eyes still locked onto Kat who remains blissfully unaware, Rosa nods. Tisha's eyes narrow as she clocks the movement. "On it," Rosa reassures them. She finally tears her gaze off the blonde and heads off to find Lynn, leaving Charles giggling to himself and the Linettis looking at him strangely.

However, it's not even ten minutes later that Rosa returns to find Kat, Tisha, and Charles setting up final decorations. Long story short, Lynn Boyle is spiralling. Along the way to the groom's dressing room, Charles had quickly grabbed a gift bag to put over his head to prevent him from seeing his dad. Tisha had spent the two-minute walk giving him various nicknames.

The group of four walk into the room and the second Katherine spots the anxiousness that is Lynn, she throws her head back with a grown. "We were doing so well," she mumbles.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Rosa," Tisha begins in a deadpanned voice. "This is going swimmingly!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Charles steadies himself as Rosa and Kat keep him balanced. "Dad, it's your son here," he says, holding out his hands. "Charles Boyle. Rosa said you had a personal question."

Bear trots over and nudges Lynn's leg with his nose, immediately sensing the anxiety coming off in waves. "No, I'm not," Lynn dismisses. He places a hand on the dog's head. "I'm not. I'm just second-guessing every decision I ever made. Why did I buy a cube-shaped car?"

"Because you love it," Charles reminds him. "Dad, listen... Let's just sit down-" He misses the chair by a few inches and topples down onto the floor. Kat quickly helps him up, making sure that he hasn't managed to clumsily break a bone. "Screw a two-thousand-year-old tradition," he announces. "I'm taking the bag off."

The second he sees his son's face, Lynn gasps in horror.

"Okay, Dad, listen. Everyone gets nervous. Everyone gets cold feet. I was nervous before I married Eleanor."

"She ended up cheating on you with the guy from the mattress commercials," Lynn points out. Katherine winces, she remembers the divorce vividly and it was not pretty.

"Sleepy Stu?" Rosa and Tisha question.

Boyle's eyes narrow. "Don't bring up Sleepy Stu," he says.

"Rosa thinks I should call off the wedding."

Kat's eyes widen as she spins back around to the woman. "What the hell did you say to him?" she exclaims.

"Rosa, come on," Tisha tuts. "You know how suggestible Boyle men are!"

Rosa grits her teeth together. "That is not what I said," she tells her friends. "This is why I don't talk to people! I just asked him if he was feeling nervous."

Kat drops down into one of the nearby chairs, placing her head in her hands. She gives a half-hearted smile when her dog hurries over and jumps up, his two front paws on her lap.

"Rosa, you know how suggestible Boyle men are," Charles tells her pointedly. Tisha vigorously nods along. "I saw one Samuel L. Jackson movie, and I wore a Kangol hate for three years!"

And so the sergeant exits the room, leaving Bear with Tisha who both will hopefully be able to comfort Lynn in various ways. Almost immediately, her sister finds her and explains that the caterer had mistakenly cooked one of the doves. With this mishap and Lynn Boyle's dilemma, both Linettis desperately need some form of good news.

Holt and Terry are in the entrance foyer, both stopping their conversation as they spot Kat and Gina beelining over to them. "There has been a mix-up, and the caterer has cooked one of the doves!" Gina smiles and loops her arm through her sister's. "So we need some good news. How is that speech going?"

Terry holds up the cards. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes," Kat replies instantly. "Please."

"'Darlene and Lynn, I want you to remember the words of Luther Vandross: A thousand kisses from you-" Terry's lip quivers as he holds back his tears. "A thousand kisses from you is never too much-" He interrupts himself with a high-pitched sob.

Raymond looks to the Linettis. "Every time he reads it, he breaks down," he informs them.

Gina inhales a breath. "I thought you had done this before!"

Terry nods. "Well, yeah, but that was just workout metaphors." Kat closes her eyes in frustration. "You told me to get gorgeous with it, and it took me to some very real places."

Once Gina spots Kat nod, she sighs. "Terry, I'm sorry, but you're fired," she says. "Captain, the speech is yours."

"It needs to be emotional and poetic," Katherine stresses. "Can you do it? Please tell me you can do it."

"Well, my first captain used to call me Emily Dickinson."

They both smile in relief. "Great," Gina nods.

As soon as they walk off, Holt turns to Terry who has finished wiping his tears away. "Of course, he meant it as an insult about my sexuality, but don't worry. I am good at emotion."

⋆。 ﾟ✩ ⋆。 ﾟ☀︎。 ⋆

Half an hour later, things are far worse off. The sisters are well and truly in panic mode. "The guests are all here and nothing is ready," Gina stresses with an anxious smile. While Hitchcock happens to be listening, Charles is pacing across the room. "We don't have a ring, the cake says, 'Darlene and Lunn,' and the smoke machine is not working."

"How is Lunn doing?" Tisha questions. She grimaces at the looks all three adults give her. "Copy that..." She puts her headphones back over her ears as she returns to practising the dance routine she's constructed with Bear.

"This is a disaster," Kat declares. Her arms are folded across her chest, her fingers nervously tapping away on her elbow. "This is a Grade A disaster."

Hitchcock believes he can solve one of their problems. "I could crouch by the altar and vape," he suggests.

"You are a stone-cold atrocity," Gina remarks in disgust.

Katherine inhales a deep breath. "Okay, we just need to make sure nothing else goes wrong," she tells them. "Which it can't. I mean, this is rock bottom, right? What else could possibly go wrong. Charles?"

He looks up from his shoes. "Hm?"

"Where is your dad?" Gina asks. After hearing about the debacle earlier, she's a little worried about him getting cold feet. "Where is Lunn?"

"Um, he's still having a little trouble with his cuff links," Charles replies, trying to be as believing as possible. "You know us Boyle men, and our clumsy ham hands."

"Please say you're not gonna reference your ham hands in your toast," Gina begs. Hitchcock smirks.

"Well, you made me take out the brother-sister sex stuff, so there was this big hole on page eighteen!"

Kat and Gina share an incredulous look. "Page eighteen?" they yell. Bear and Tisha look over at the commotion.

"Made it!" They spin around to find a breathless Jake and Amy, the latter looking a little worse for wear. "Made it in time." Jake grins as the Retriever practically bounces over to him and Amy in excitement. "Hi there, dog dude."

Gina immediately grimaces at the sight of the dark-haired woman. "Ew, Amy!" Kat smacks her arm. "I'm sorry, but you look horrible. Your dress is filthy. Lucky I brought you a spare outfit." Amy's eyes widen. "I knew I was gonna hate whatever you chose."

"I made sure she didn't choose anything humiliating or ghastly," Tisha reassures her.

Amy sighs. "That's a little more comforting..."

Kat turns to her best friend pleadingly. "Just go with it, I cannot have anything else go wrong." Just to prove their points, Bear begins licking the stained fabric on the bottom of Amy's dress.

"Oh, my God," Jake whispers in surprise. "It's Jenny. She's here."

Katherine finds the woman in the bright blue dress and hums. "I get the appeal," she admits. "Don't tell my girlfriend I said that."

Jake smiles. "Okay, how do I look?"

"You look great," Amy reassures him quickly. "Go get her, Bond."

"Thanks, Maxi Pads," he grins. Jake notices Kat's incredibly confused look and shrugs. "You had to be there."

But as he heads off with Jenny a minute later, Kat and Gina jump into action. "Peralta," the sergeant calls out. He spins around. "What are you doing?" Bear sits in front of him, his tail wagging back and forth as he looks up at Jake expectantly. "Give me the ring!"

He chuckles. "You sound like Gollum."

Whilst she grins, Gina looks between them blankly. "That means nothing to me," she says. "I don't see those movies. I'm too pretty. The ring?"

"Okay, well, not to worry." Jake sticks his hand inside his jacket pocket to get the ring. "I've got it right here..." He pulls out a small container. "Nope. Those are my mints. I eat mints, no big deal." But as he checks the various pockets of his suit, Kat feels the dread inside her building. "Um... Uh-huh... I lost the ring."

Gina throws her head back and falls to her knees.

Bear begins barking again.

"Oh, my God," Charles exclaims. "Oh, my God!"

Kat slides down the wall and closes her eyes. "I didn't know rock bottom had a basement," she mutters.

After collecting themselves with the reminder that they could still somehow save this wedding, the future siblings send Jake and Amy back to where they had arrested Minsk to find the ring. Their saving grace was going to be a miracle. After managing to do some hustling and quick thinking, Kat and Gina think they might have made things slightly better than they looked twenty minutes ago. And then they get the phone call.

Kat hangs up with a sigh of relief. "Okay, Jake has the ring," she says.

Gina visibly relaxes at the news. "Thank God." She turns back to their mother. "We found an extra place setting for your psychic."

"Strange," Darlene says with furrowed brows. "She said you wouldn't be able to."

"That's because she's a fraud, Mom," Kat deadpans. Gina nods along in agreement. "They're all frauds."

The last sentence is where Gina draws the line. "They're not," she corrects, placing a hand on her sister's arm. "You need to start seeing my psychic. Best of all, I fixed this!" She presses the button for the smoke machine.

Charles gasps at the sight. "It's working! How'd you do that?"

"We grew up with a smoke machine in the apartment," Kat tells him. "Gina liked to enter the kitchen in the morning with vivacity." The woman in mention grins.

"Girls, you're amazing," Darlene states proudly. "Everything's just perfect. Thank you for making this the fifth-best day of my life."

"Fifth?" Kat questions sceptically.

"First was having you," Darleen tells Gina. Kat shrugs: she had expected that. "Second was having you. Third was sleeping with a roadie for the Steve Miller Band." She points to the back of the room where Bear is chasing Tisha around in circles. "Fourth was having her join our family."

Gina grins. "I love you, Mom."

"Me, too," Kat smiles.

"I love you more."

As Gina and Darlene begin blowing kisses to each other, Charles grabs the air in between them. "Grab some of those if you're throwing 'em out," he says. The bride walks away and he calls out, "Bye, Mom!" He turns to the sisters with a proud smile. "You guys did so great. I, however, hit a small snag..."

They rush into Lynn's dressing room to find the man folding his pants over as he sobs. "No," Gina yells. "Do not take off that tux, Lynn!"

"Come on," Kat exclaims. "What are you doing? We had a deal. Do you remember that deal?"

"I said, 'If you hurt our mother, I will cut off your son's testicles,'" Gina reminds him.

"You're right," Lynn agrees in defeat. "Cut 'em off!"

Kat hums. "Well, this took a surprising turn."

"No!" Charles protests.

Gina takes a deep breath. "Okay, as much as I would love to do that, I would like my mom to be happy." She gestures to the chair beside Lynn. "So can you please have a seat? And just explain to us what is going on."

"I'm worried I'm just rushing into this," Lynn stresses. "I barely know your mom! I don't even know her favourite kind of soup. Is it tomato?"

"All soup is horrible," Kat replies.

Lynn looks up to them with wide eyes. "You're a family of soup-haters," he whispers in horror. "What have I done?"

"Look," Katherine begins with a sigh. "Do you know how why our mom loves you? Because you take big risks." Rosa's expression falters.

"Like how you got her that dog on your second date," Gina reminds him.

Lynn chuckles at the memory. "Those kind of things just blow up in my face half the time. I mean, the dog worked out great, but-"

"The dog was a disaster," Gina reveals. "She hates it. But she loved that you took that shot. Do you know you never, ever rushes into anything?"

Rosa's eyes have locked onto an unaware Katherine. "Cowards," she answers.

Gina spins around and points to her with a smile. "That's exactly right, Rosa," she confirms. "Cowards. And you're a weirdo. I'd call you a hobbit..." Lynn nods. "A human pile of mashed potatoes..."

"Okay, okay," Kat interjects. "Lynn Boyle, you are no coward."

"Lynn Linetti," he corrects her. "I'm taking your mother's name."

Charles throws his hands up, Kat shakes her head, and Gina groans. "Oh! You're making this so hard! My mom loves you," Gina says. "You love her. Now follow your big, weird heart."

He smiles. "Oh, you're right."

"Of course we're right," Kat says.

"It's time for a wedding!" Lynn Boyle rushes out the room missing an important item of clothing.

"Pants, Dad," Charles calls after him. Lynn hurries back. "Pants!"

They leave Lynn to finish getting ready, and the group of four head out into the entrance foyer to wait for Jake and Amy to return with the ring. Most of the guests are inside the ballroom being serenaded by Scully.

Lynn runs over in his suit with a beaming smile. His cummerbund and bowtie match the colours of Kat and Gina's dresses. "How do I look?" he asks them, doing a quick twirl. Rosa and Kat share a smile at how excited he is.

"You look incredible!" Charles squeals. "Up high!" They both high-five.

"Down low!" Lynn says. They high-five again.

"Butts, butts, butts!"

Kat shakes her head in amusement as they bump their butts together. Gina joins them and sighs. "You're the worst family in history," she proclaims. "But at least you're ready. Scully's run out of songs."

Tisha, who has just walked out of the ceremony ballroom, is grimacing. "Yeah, he's doing Don't You Forget About Me right now." She pauses. "Uh, it's... Well, it's questionable.""Best rock and roll song ever written," Charles declares. He glances to his father as they both say in sync, "Tied with Kokomo."

"Hey!" Jake and Amy hurry over to them with smiles, and Amy seems to have a few more holes in her cardigan than earlier. "So we have good news and we have great news. The good news is we found the ring. The great news is that we will never lose it again."

"What are you trying to say?" Kat smiles.

Amy grabs Jake's hand and holds it up. "The ring is stuck on his finger," she says. "I told him not to be cute about it."

"I'm cute about everything," he retorts.

"Debatable," Tisha replies. She snickers when he smacks her arm.

"Okay, okay..." Gina sucks in a sharp breath, trying not to completely lose it just yet. "What do we do?"

Terry has finally joined them to give Holt space to finish his speech. "I could pull the ring off," he suggests. "But it might hurt your little fingers."

"I don't care if it hurts," Kat says firmly. Her eyes narrow as she looks at Terry. "Do it."

Jake nods. "Yeah, it's fine," he agrees. "I just won't look so I don't know when you're gonna do it." As Terry grabs his hand, his eyes lock onto something in the distance. "Jenny! No!" His scream of pain is both mental and physical as he watches Jenny make out with a stranger.

⋆。 ﾟ✩ ⋆。 ﾟ☀︎。 ⋆

Finally, the ceremony is ready to begin. After many stumbles and crises, they had made it. Charles and Lynn are stood at the front as the bridesmaids begin their walk. Gina's arm is looped through Terry's as she holds a bouquet of yellow roses, and Katherine follows close behind with Holt. Tisha trails behind them with Bear trotting by her side, his ears flicking around as he baths in the attention the crowd gives him.

As she walks down the aisle, Kat doesn't think they could have done any better. Her mother was right earlier, everything does look beautiful. As she takes her position beside her sister, Rosa finds that she only has eyes for her. The way her curls tumble down past her shoulders, how her eyes sparkle with excitement, or how her cheeks have blushed through her makeup. Rosa thinks that the only one beautiful in the room is Kat.

The second the music changes, Katherine and Gina share a smile as their mother walks out in her glittering gold gown. Similar to Rosa, Darlene only has eyes for one person, her soon to be husband.

"I'm gonna cry," Tisha whispers. "She's so pretty." Kat wraps an arm around her shoulders with a smile.

Charles steps closer to the sisters, an eager smile on his face as he looks at Gina. "We did this," he whispers. "Our sex made this happen!"

Katherine grimaces as she hears his voice ring out across the room. "Charles, mic's on," Jake calls out. Some of the guests stifle their laughter. "We can hear all this, bud." Charles sheepishly smiles as he returns to his dad's side.

Once Darlene has finally reached the end of the aisle, Raymond Holt returns the cards for his speech back to his jacket pocket. "I'm Captain Raymond Holt," he announces. "Welcome. Marriage is a contract..." He finds Kevin's eyes in the crowd. "But it's so much more than that. Marriage is love. It's commitment, it's joy, it's understanding, it's patience, it's anger, it's reconciliation, it's everything. It's like oatmeal. It... sustains you."

Terry wipes away his tears.

"Now, the rings," Holt says. He turns to the golden-haired dog before him, a small velvet bag in between his canines. Bear drops the bag into Holt's hand and Kat feels herself on the verge of tears. She's trained him so well. Raymond takes Darlene's hand and guides it over to Lynn's. "Darlene, do you take Lynn to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She smiles as she slips the ring onto Lynn's finger. "I do."

"Lynn, do you take Darlene to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Lynn says. Behind him, Charles bounces on the balls of his feet, barely keeping his excitement together.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Holt states. "You may kiss the bride." The room breaks into applause as the newlyweds share a kiss. Bear tilts his head in confusion, but once he understands that everyone's excited, he begins to run around the group of people.

"Yeah, get it, Daddy," Charles cheers.

"That's what she said!" Kat exclaims with a grin. She spots Gina's amused look. "I couldn't help it; the opportunity was right there."

After moving into the adjoining ballroom, the reception was well underway. Fairy lights crawl up the walls like spider webs, casting a warm glow across the floor full of wide smiles and joyful laughs.

Kat once had hated weddings. She had never experienced a loving relationship, so she had taken upon the perspective of that if she couldn't experience true love, then why should anyone else? But now she's finally in a relationship of her own where she feels safe, secure, and loved by Daisy. Katherine just isn't sure if she's in love with her.

"You know, you should just tell her." Rosa spins around to find the teenage girl beside her, giving her a knowing look. "Oh, come on, Diaz, we all know," Tisha says.

She clears her throat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tisha huffs a sigh. "Fine, be like that," she grumbles. "God, none of you people know how to take a risk. It's like you're all cowards or something."

Rosa's face falls, the earlier words from Gina ringing through her head once more. She recollects herself quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about," she repeats dryly.

The girl throws her hands up in frustration. "I give up," she exclaims. But before she storms off, she lowers her voice to a whisper. "She really likes champers, by the way."

Rosa watches Tisha make her way over to the dance floor before turning around and taking two flutes of champagne off the drinks table. She feels the glass begin to slip slightly from the sweat on her hands. Rosa's breath unconsciously hitches in her chest as she stops before Kat. The blonde-haired woman smiles at her and it's like then she remembers how to breathe. "Hey, I, uh, I got you this," she says. Rosa quickly holds out the flute. "You don't have to drink it, I just thought maybe 'cause you like champagne."

But Kat plucks the glass out of her hand with an eager smile. "Don't mind if I do," she mumbles. As she takes a sip of the alcohol, her eyes flick over to Rosa who is staring off to the side. "What're you thinking about?"

The woman's head snaps over to her. "Nothing," she replies quickly. Kat raises her brows and Rosa sighs. "Fine, I'm just- I hate weddings."

"I used to hate them, too," she nods.

Rosa's eyebrows knit together. "Used to?" she echoes.

"Right now, there's no reason to." A soft smile adorns her face as she finds her mother and Lynn being cheered on over at the dance floor.

"Yeah, I guess this one's not too bad," Rosa admits. She turns her attention back to Katherine. "You guys did a good job." She quietly laughs as Kat grins, holding up her glass of champagne as if to say I know. "So, uh, where's Daisy?"

Kat takes another long sip from the glass, clearing her throat as she pulls the glass away. "She got called in for a shift last minute," she answers. She forces a smile onto her face. "It's okay, though, it's fine."

Rosa's features soften as she realises that it's really not fine. "You sure?" she asks gently. Kat makes a show of nodding. "Yeah, I'm calling bullshit."

She scoffs. "It's not bullshit," she retorts loudly. "It's fine! My girlfriend can't come to my mom's wedding because she has to work. It's fine." Rosa hums in a sarcastic manner. "And if you wanna dig into me, I'll turn to you and ask about Marcus."

"Actually..." Rosa hesitates for a second, her eyes flicking around the ballroom before landing back onto the sergeant. "I invited him. Super last minute, but I..." Kat's brows furrow as she watches her friend suddenly become anxious. "Gina's thing about cowards got to me."

The two fall into a comfortable silence as Fearless by Taylor Swift begins to play over the speakers – something no doubt Jake had requested for. "You're not a coward," Katherine tells her firmly. "God, you're like the opposite of a coward. Shit, what's the opposite- technically it's hero, and you are a hero, but that doesn't really apply to what I'm trying to say."

A chuckle leaves Rosa's glossed lips. "Thanks," she finally says. Kat smiles at her, and she feels her chest constrict.

"If you're scared about things moving too fast, don't," Katherine says seriously. "If it feels right, it's never too fast. There isn't a period of time that's right for falling in love with someone. Tell him how you feel." Rosa stares at her for a moment, then nods.

Charles storms over to the women, an irritated scowl etched onto his face as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "He's not even playing my playlist," he tells them, more than annoyed that the DJ hasn't followed his request. They both smile at him in amusement.

"Congratulations, guys," Marcus joins them with a grin. He shakes Charles's hand and pulls Kat in for a brief hug.

"Marcus!" Charles exclaims in surprise. His eyes flick over to Kat for a split-second to gauge her reaction. "Rosa said you weren't coming."

He nods. "Yeah, I wasn't. Just got the call about an hour ago." Rosa's gaze shifts to the ground. "Oh, but, hey. I'm DVR-ing Bones, so no spoilers."

Kat gasps. "Oh, my God, I love Bones," she gushes.

Marcus motions zipping his lips. "Not a word," he warns her. "Not a word."

"Don't worry, I don't watch," Charles reassures him, temporarily distracted from the music. "Too scary. And before Kat can tell you all about it, because she will, I'm gonna drag her away."

Katherine's eyes widen when Charles grabs her arm. "Dude," she protests. "What the hell?"

"We need to ask the DJ to play Kokomo!" As Charles drags her away, Kat glances over her shoulder to smile at the couple. The second she turns back around, he nudges her side, a salacious smile on his lips. "So..."

"Hitchcock, stop looking at me like that," Tisha's yell carries across the ballroom.

Kat's head snaps over to the dance floor where she finds her daughter staring at the detective with a face of thunder. Hitchcock pales and pushes Scully in front of him.

She smiles, then expression falls blank as she turns back to Charles. "What, Boyle?"

"You and Rosa."

"Me and Rosa?"

Charles rolls his eyes at her naivety. "Wow, you're both so ignorant," he mutters.

Kat sighs, dumping her empty glass onto a nearby table. "There's no me and Rosa," she tells him firmly. "Okay? So whatever you've got going in your head, get it out."

Once they're on the other side of the ballroom, Charles pulls her to a stop, then spins her around. "So, you're telling me that that makes you feel nothing?" Kat's gaze follows his pointed finger to where Rosa and Marcus are sharing an intimate kiss. "Nothing?"

For the last year and a half, Katherine Linetti had tried to outrun Rosa Diaz at every chance she had gotten. She had thought that if she had pushed hard enough, she would be able to let her emotions fade. But the more she tried to convince herself that she felt nothing, the more those feelings would fester away in the pit of her stomach. Rosa had been in the back of her mind, no matter what.

Kat had tried to hate her instead. That had lasted no longer than an hour. Their conversations are what keep her up at night; they're the knife that has plunged into her heart, twisting, and digging deeper whenever she tries to ignore them or play it down to nothing.

As Katherine watches Rosa's forehead lean against her boyfriend's, she realises that she can't escape her anymore.

She doesn't want to.

And as she finally accepts the fact that she's still in love with Rosa Diaz, it's like all those discarded emotions come flooding back all at once. Charles smiles softly as Kat hurries over to a nearby waiter and snatches another glass of champagne, downing it all in a few gulps. Even though he had only come to the realisation yesterday, it all makes sense. All their interactions, their shared smiles, the lingering and longing stares. But his heart constricts as he realises that Kat fully believes that Rosa couldn't – she wouldn't – ever return her feelings. She wouldn't allow herself to be loved.

He wraps an arm around his stepsister's shoulders, and she lets herself to lean into him as if she's letting herself succumb to her feelings. "It's okay," Charles tells her quietly. She tries to smile, but he watches a single tear run down her cheek. She quickly brushes it away before anyone can notice. "You know, brothers are meant to be here no matter what. That means if you need to watch The Notebook or 27 Dresses a thousand times and cry, gorge yourself with gelato, or if you just want someone to vent to. I'm not bad at listening."

Kat turns to look at him and another smile pulls at her lips. This time it's not forced. "Thank you," she whispers. "Really, thank you, Charlie."

He squeezes her shoulder with a knowing look. "I got you. Always."

As he heads off to force the DJ to play Kokomo, Kat leans back against the wall and exhales a long sigh. In a way, by acknowledging her emotions, it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. But at the same time, another five have been placed back down. What the hell is she going to do? She can't stay with Daisy anymore; it wouldn't be fair to keep her girlfriend around or lead her on. She had to deal with her feelings properly and alone.

That then begged the question of how she was going to break up with her. Katherine wasn't a massive fan of conflict. She didn't mind the occasional violence and rather enjoyed yelling at people, but she didn't like breaking heavy news to someone, to be the reason that their world is crashing down around them.

Her lips purse as she realises that maybe she could get Tisha to do it for her.

Amy slowly approaches her best friend with a concerned frown etched onto her face, her brows furrowed as she tries to depict what Kat is feeling. She moves to stand beside her, neither exchanging words in greeting. They just be.

"Is Jake dancing with Aunt Susan?" Kat finally speaks up, amusement tinging her words as she finds the detective on the floor.

A soft smile graces Amy's face. "Yep," she confirms. "Bear's doing the salsa with the captain." Kat chuckles. She glances to the woman beside her and grabs her hand, interlacing their fingers. "You okay?"

Katherine inhales a sharp breath through her nose, willing herself not to cry from all the overwhelming emotions. "No," she answers honestly. "But it's okay."

Amy nods. She has a strong feeling that she knows what's going on. "I love how neither of us are brave enough to do anything about it." She cracks a small smile as Kat chuckles, immediately understanding her words. "Besties for life?"

She holds up their joined hands. "Hell yeah," Kat smiles. "Wanna get drunk?"

"Oh, absolutely," Amy replies a little too quickly.

Kat lets her head drop onto Amy's shoulder. "Perfect," she mutters. Amy presses a chaste kiss to her head, a simple action that silently tells her that everything is going to be okay. She hopes to God that everything is going to be okay.

𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴! 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯