The number of dresses ranging from formal to informal inside the dress shop was overwhelming to Dahlia and Sloane. So many dresses were bunched together on the metal racks, and the bright colors popped out, almost as if they were trying to lure Dahlia into wanting to wear them. But she kept her gaze over to where a collection of wedding dresses were located towards the back of the parlor. She watched as Sloane pulled off some of the dresses and held them out to Dahlia's view, asking for her opinion.

"What about this one?" Sloane asked as she held up a dress with replica crystals down the front and around the belt. Dahlia inhaled sharply, unable to imagine her sister wearing such a frilly gown. She'd come to realize over the years Sloane was more of a skintight, shows-all-the-curves kind of gal. "I-I mean, it's a pretty gown," the blonde stammered. "You've been saying that for the last three dresses, D. You gotta give me something more than that," Sloane smiled as she placed the dress back on the rack.

They moved on to another rack, one by one pulling the hangars back to have a better glance at the options. As she pulled back another hanger, Dahlia's eyes widened at the sight of a beautiful white satin dress. It had no sleeves, there was a slight train, and the material was so soft. "Slo, what do you think about this one?" Dahlia called out to her. The gravity girl turned away from the mirror, and she gasped at the mounted dress.

"It's so pretty!" She squealed, gently running a hand down the silky skirt. "Do you want to try it on?" Her sister questioned. Sloane nodded excitedly and grabbed the dress. While Sloane tried on her three different options, Dahlia sat on the velvet-cushioned couch. Whatever dress she wears, she'll look like an angel. The dressing room curtain opened, and Sloane stepped out wearing her first option. The dress was made almost entirely out of white lace, and right at the curve of her hips, the fabric grew tight around her legs, almost forming into that of a mermaid's tail.

The dress had a slight train, and as her sister moved toward the 3-paneled mirror, Dahlia couldn't help but notice her struggling to walk in it. "How do you feel?" She asked Sloane. Sparrow Five to a moment to look at the dress, her hands brushing against the material. "I like the style, but I feel like it's too heavy!" Sloane gestured to the bottom of the dress. "This is not my dress,"

Sloane then tried on her second option, a white ballgown with replica crystals decorating the bodice and belt. The more she thought about wearing it, the more Sloane realized that her dress could take up a lot of space on the dance floor and the risk of someone stepping on her gown also crossed her mind. The moment she stepped out wearing the silk skin-tight dress Dahlia suggested, both sisters almost instantly knew that this dress was the one.

"Do you think Luther's going to love this?" Sloane questioned. "Of course, he will. You're the love of his life. And besides if he doesn't like it, I'll freeze his nuts off," Dahlia answered. Sloane playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head, her gaze returning to admiring the dress. The gravity girl couldn't wait to marry the love of her life in just a few short hours.

"Oh my gosh! We need to find a dress for you!" Sloane gasped after realizing something was missing. She carefully dashed towards the racks, rummaging desperately through the racks. "Slo, you don't have to. I'll find a dress myself," Dahlia insisted. "No, you found a dress for me to wear. Now, it's time I return the favor,"

Dahlia's hands touched several of the fabrics, some felt scratchy while others felt smoother than anything she ever touched before. As she browsed through the blue dresses, Sloane cleared her throat, catching the Icy Sparrow's attention. Out of the corner of her eye, Dahlia could see a shimmer of light blue and sparkles. When she caught a full glimpse of the dress in the mirror, her jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"Isn't it lovely?" Sloane asked, grinning from ear to ear. "It's beautiful," Dahlia said as she touched some sparkles on the bodice. "Well go on, try it! I want to see how pretty you look!" Dahlia headed to one of the changing rooms and closed the curtains before changing in the somewhat cramped space, and as she zipped up the back of her dress, Dahlia smiled at how the color perfectly matched her skin tone.

"I love it!" Dahlia grinned, stepping into her sister's view. "See? What did I tell you? Blue is definitely your color!" Sloane giggled.

~~~~~~~

With only an hour left before the wedding, Dahlia made sure Sloane was all set when it came to preparing her hair and makeup before she started getting ready. In one of the vacant hotel rooms, Dahlia stood in front of the bathroom mirror, doing her makeup and curling her hair into long blonde waves. Just as she carefully wrapped one of the last few pieces of her hair around the heating metal, a loud knock startled her. She looked in the direction of the door, unaware the curling iron was mere inches from her neck.

"GAH GODDAMNIT!" She screamed, dropping the tool on the counter before pulling the plug. Quicker than a bunny, she wet one of the towels and put it to her neck as she rushed to answer the door. "Look, whoever it is, now's really not the ti-" Before Dahlia could finish her sentence, she saw the person who was looking for her was Ben. Her eyes narrowed, and she continued to glare while she dabbed cold water on her burn mark.

"What do you need?" She asked. Ben said nothing, only brushing past and entering the room. "Yeah, come on in, why don't you?" Dahlia said with sarcasm as he sat on the couch, throwing his head back. "It's official. My ears are bleeding, and the idiot with knives can't sing at all," He groaned. "You do realize his name is Diego, right?" the blonde inquired. The Squid boy lifted his head for a moment and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," Ben scoffed.

Dahlia tried to ignore his negative energy as she continued getting ready, but Ben continued to whine like a two-year-old. "We shouldn't be doing this, throwing a wedding for Sloane and some guy she's known for a few days," he said. "We should be preparing for Project Oblivion like father would want us to do,"

"Why do you care so much about our father? He hasn't done anything except send us out on missions and use us like we're his guinea pigs," Sparrow Eight sighed. "Don't say such things, he does care. Why else would he be trying to save the world?" Ben shook his head. He walked towards the bathroom and tried to grab her arm, but Dahlia quickly pulled it away. "Didn't you hear what Five said? There's nothing else we can do. We're too late," she gritted her teeth.

"It's never too late, D. Come on, Dad's in the White Buffalo Suite, we'll go tell him you're ready for training," Ben opened the door, holding it open and waiting for her to pass by him. But Dahlia would not move, further stirring Ben's frustration. "So, that's it? You're just gonna turn your back on The Sparrow Academy? Something big is about to go down, and you're acting like a coward!"

Dahlia sharply turned on her silver heels and stormed towards him. "Oh, I'm the one acting like a coward?! If anyone's a coward, it's you! You never own up to anything! You never acknowledge the mistakes you make, all you ever do is keep acting like we're the ones who caused this shit and hide in a corner!" she shrieked. She didn't care if Sloane or the others heard what was happening, Dahlia was letting out all her anger for the first time, and she wouldn't stop until every last word had been drained from her icy ball of fury.

"Yeah, keep shaking your head no. You're just too afraid to admit the truth," Dahlia stepped closer, her heels giving her an extra few inches of height. It wasn't enough to tower over Ben, but he started to feel intimidated. "You know, I used to feel bad for you? Poor Ben, he's just misguided and needs someone to point him in the right direction," the blonde shook her head. "I never asked for your assistance-"

"And I never asked for your betrayal! Answer this, the day of the accident, what would you have done if me and Chris hadn't made it?" Ben just stared into her increasingly glowing blue eyes. The truth was, he tried not to think about the alternative. When the two Sparrows were fighting to live, Ben stayed away in fear of walking by and hearing the news they had passed away. Looking back, he could've apologized and owned up to everything as Dahlia lay in her frostbitten state. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He was a coward.

He tried to open his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a stammer and gurgle. "If you want to die pleasing Dad and try to accomplish a lost cause, knock yourself out. But I'm done with the Sparrows," With that final statement, Dahlia walked out of the room, heading towards the elevator and gliding her way down to the banquet hall with the rest of the siblings.

~~~~~~~~

The door of the elevator slid open, revealing the beautiful banquet hall. Each table was covered in white cloths, the dishes, and cutlery already out, waiting to be used. The disco ball was rotating and shining bright, and the DJ Booth was already playing soft classical music on vinyl. As they all stepped out of the elevator, they gasped in amazement. Wow, this place is huge! "Not sure if this place is gonna be big enough," Dahlia heard Klaus comment as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend.

"This place better have an open bar," Allison muttered as she brushed past Dusk and the Icy Sparrow. Dahlia could only bite her tongue. She had already ripped one person's head off, she'd hate to rip off another. The elevator dinged again, and the door opened, revealing Luther and Viktor talking to each other, making sure Luther didn't look like an 'idiot' in his black tuxedo. "Dahlia, I haven't been able to see Sloane all day. Tell me, is she okay? No cold feet?" Luther asked, pulling his soon-to-be sister-in-law to the side.

"I promise you, she's fine. And she's very excited to marry you," Dahlia answered truthfully. Luther sighed with relief, gently patting her shoulder as a thank you before noticing Allison and Viktor appeared to be arguing yet again. But he was quick to shut it down. The elevator dinged a third time, and everyone stared in awe as Sloane stepped out in her wedding dress, holding a tiny bouquet of white flowers.

She briefly glanced at the blended family, before looking at the love of her life. Luther smiled at her warmly and as she got closer to him, he took her hand in his. "Let's get this over with before I die of cringe," Ben sighed. Before he could say anything further, Dusk elbowed him sharply in the side. Dahlia grabbed her baskets of white roses from the bar's counter and they all gathered outside where the beautiful ceremony was laid out.

Luther walked down first, Viktor standing next to his side. The next person to walk was Lila, as she was the bridesmaid. When it was her turn, Dahlia reached into her basket, pulling out a few petals before sprinkling them behind her. Luther smiled, mouthing the words "Good job," before looking towards his awaiting bride. Sloane gracefully walked down the aisle and when she reached the end of the aisle, Klaus stood a couple of feet away, holding back his excitement to officiate.

"Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today for a good time, not a long time, so let's have a good time, huh? Cause the sun can't shine every day. Can I get an amen?" "Amen!" The siblings all responded with amusement. When they all simmered down, Klaus turned to his brother. "Luther, do you take this banging hottie to be your lady?" Luther grinned, widely saying, "I do,"

Klaus then turned to Sloane, sighing emotionally, holding his hands close to his chest. "And Sloane, do you promise to love and cherish this big hairy bastard for the next 24 to 48 hours?" "Give or take a day!" Five called out. The junkie shushed him before looking back at the bride. "I'm gonna try," Sloane responded lovingly. Klaus blinked away his tears of happiness, choking up on his last line. "I'm sorry," He apologized.

"I pronounce you married as shit! Viva La Apocalypse!" Sloane immediately jumped into Luther's arms, kissing him as the Umbrellas and remaining Sparrows clapped and cheered for their union.