The newlywed couple's first dance was supposed to be one of the joyous moments of a wedding, especially now that Umbrellas and Sparrows were now one household and family. But Dahlia could feel something unusual form in the pit of her stomach- a feeling of dread. She wanted to be happy for Sloane and Luther, but the aching feeling was becoming too difficult to suppress. But as she walked to the table containing endless glasses of Champagne and started gulping one down, she felt the unsettling feeling calm down.

The clearing of someone's throat caught her attention and she turned around to see it was Victoria. No words were exchanged, but dirty glances were. Even though Victoria was technically part of the family, due to being Dusk's best friend, she had no desire to patch things up with Dahlia. Call it best friends supporting other best friends. And in Victoria's mind, it would be a crime to socialize with the enemy. Dahlia leaned against one of the pillars as she continued watching the dance, noticing Dusk and Klaus walk onto the floor and Diego and Lila slow danced together.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ben already gulping down three of the champagne glasses. Clearly, he showed no interest in being there and intended to drink till either he passed out or the world ended. As they took their seats, Chet walked around with a big old-timey camera and took photos of the guests and the happy couple. The lightbulb was so bright that some of the guests didn't have the time to prepare themselves before being briefly blinded. And as Chet exchanged one used lightbulb for another, a tiny cockroach landed on the table.

The blonde Sparrow held back a gag and quickly smashed it with the bottom of her large plate. "Nasty little..." She muttered. "Okay... there we go! Dahlia, why don't you, Ben, and Ms. Allison group together?" Chet gestured to the empty chair next to the Squid Boy. "If you say so," Dahlia sighed, reluctantly scooting closer to the small group, trying not to make eye contact with Ben. But he just rolled his eyes as he set down his next glass, just wanting to get it over with. Just a few more hours, Dahl. A few more hours, and I can be rid of this asshole for the rest of the night. And hopefully, tomorrow!

Blinking furiously before Chet pressed the button, the blonde plastered a fake smile as the picture was taken, and the moment Chet gave a satisfied nod, she pulled away and started snacking on the bit-sized appetizers on her plate. "It's five dollars for a four-by-five. Eight if you want two of them," Chet explained before moving on to the next table. Looking across the room, Dahlia watched as Dusk, Klaus, and Five sat together, overhearing just the faintest couple of words. The time traveler seemed so desperate to drown himself in alcohol and food for the rest of the night. Guess I'm not the only one who doesn't want to be here, the icy blonde slightly smiled.

But as she watched Five swipe Dusk's napkin and start patting himself, his face glistening with sweat, Dahlia slightly quirked a brow. "How long before we can leave?" Ben grumbled. "After the speeches," Allison sighed, taking a sip from her martini. "I don't think I can last that long," Ben's voice trailed off as he started staring into space. As much as she wanted to get as far away from Ben as possible, Dahlia couldn't abandon her sister on the most joyous day of her life. And just the smiles on her and Luther's faces were enough to make her suck it up for another hour or so.

"Also, have either of you seen Dad?" Ben questioned the two women, causing Dahlia to roll her eyes in dismay. Not this again... "Have a drink, Ben. And relax for once in your pathetic life," Allison answered. Ben scoffed quietly before taking a sip of his drink. And as Dahlia looked at the clock hanging over the elevator, she silently begged and pleaded for the time to go faster. I'm surrounded by complaining idiots!  "I'm gonna get another drink," Allison muttered before standing and walking to the bar. To Dahlia's stroke of luck, she didn't have to make conversation with Ben as Klaus spun towards their table, plopping down in Allison's seat.

"Hey, Ben-ihana and Snowflower! Don't hit me!" Klaus chuckled as he sat next to the Sparrows, who were staring down at their empty platters. "Shut up, weirdo," Dahlia grumbled, resting her head in her hand. The junkie paid no further mind to the Icy Sparrow, turning his attention to his not-so-long-lost friend. "Benny, I know we ain't exactly been best buds in this timeline, but I have a mission for you!"

Ben looked up from his plate and turned towards him. But instead of talking things out, the squid boy just burped in his face. "Twelve people... There are only twelve people left," Ben slurred. "You couldn't even invite me to the stupid bachelor party!" Klaus leaned closer, rubbing a hand down Ben's back. "Have we finally flicked off bad Benny's hard candy shell?" Number Four spoke in a tiny baby voice.

"Why don't you like me?" Ben whined. "Because you're a huge puckering asshole who'll save himself before anyone else!" Dahlia spoke up, interrupting their conversation. She didn't mean for the words to come out that way, but something about his consistent whining throughout the day was the straw that broke the camel's back. She had tried so hard to suck up the torture of being in his presence while he gave her the stink eye for not talking with their father about Oblivion. Ben was like a red wine stain over a white dress, desperately latching on no matter how many times it got washed. 

Klaus just looked up and gave her squinty eyes. "What? It's the truth!" she rolled her eyes, picked up her plate, and moved to another table. She could hear their conversation resume off in the distance as she stopped at the food tables. Absentmindedly, she reached for an endless array of lamb, shrimp, salad, crackers, practically anything she could get her hands on. "Wow, Dahl. I haven't seen you each this much since Dad made us run the 5k last year," Sloane's voice stopped Dahlia in her tracks.

"What can I say? This food is pretty good!" Dahlia chuckled. But just the slightest change of tone in her voice made Sloane question her sister's well-being. "Okay, what happened?" She inquired. "It's nothing," Dahlia brushed it off. The gravity girl slightly cocked her head, a playful smile on her lips. "Dahlia, I love you when I say this, but you are the worst liar I have ever met, next to Ben. Tell me what's going on," Dahlia hesitated, not wanting to stir up drama and ruin her wedding day over some petty beef.

"Just the usual Ben drama," The icy blonde eventually explained. "Of course. Is he still trying to convince you to talk with Dad?" Sloane asked. "Mhmm, he came up to my room while I was getting ready. We had a big fight," Dahlia admitted. "I know, I heard. It's been a while since you've yelled at someone like that," the gravity girl replied. "Look, I know you're still mad about what happened that day, and you have every right to be. But please, try and keep the fights with him to a minimum. At least until after the wedding?" Sloane requested.

"Do I have to?" Dahlia groaned. "Please, Dahly? This could be your wedding gift to me!" Sloane pleaded. "It's not much of a wedding gift," The Icy Sparrow commented. But as Dahlia locked eyes with her sister, Sloane's eyes sparkled and dimmed, a pout forming on the corners of her lips. If convincing Dahlia wasn't so easy, Sloane would usually resort to the puppy dog eyes. "Okay, okay! I'll play nice... or at least try to," Dahlia finally caved in. "Yay!" Sloane clapped her hands before tightly embracing her sister, causing some food to fall off her plate.

As Sloane bent down to pick up some of the pieces, Dahlia shook her head. "I'm sure the little doggy will eat them up in no time," She gestured to where Victoria was sitting. Mr. Pennycrumbs sat perched on her lap as she ate, occasionally scratching his head. "You've hardly spoken a word to each other since we got back here," Sloane noted. "Yeah, she hates me," Dahlia sighed. "Why?" Sloane questioned. "It's a long story; I'll tell you later. Luther's probably waiting for you," The icy blonde glanced over to where Luther sat at the head table, munching on one of his shrimp kebabs. And with a gentle kiss on the cheek, Sloane skipped back to her table, rejoining her husband.

A/n: SHE'S BACK! Did you miss her? I sure did! So sorry I haven't updated this story for nearly two years! That was never my intention. Long story short, life got in the way, and so did other story ideas! But I'm finally back to writing for Dahlia in preparation for the rest of FTA Season 4! (I'm going to focus on her for a while until I finish plotting the rest of the season and for Frostbite Season 4! If you've been reading From the Ashes alongside this, you'll be in for a treat soon enough! 😉) Thank you all for your patience and support, and let's get back to our regularly scheduled program!

With love,

Dusk Marie ❄💖